


Lexington

by MusicalCatharsis



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-01-08 14:59:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 29,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12256677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicalCatharsis/pseuds/MusicalCatharsis
Summary: Who knew that a chance meeting in a pet store after a long week chasing UnSubs would lead to the rest of her life?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU story where Penelope and Luke meet about 3 years before he joins the BAU. This is going to be mainly fluff, with slight angsty undertones in some parts but nothing as bad as Almost Always and Color. No worries there. Let me know what you think if you have the time, I'd appreciate it. Happy reading.

You would bump into someone as you rush down the aisle of the pet store nearest to your home, frantically remembering as you dragged yourself back to your apartment after a week in the office that Sergio was running low on food. You would cause everything to tumble out of not only his hands but yours as well, and you would start sputtering out apologies the second you realize what a mess you have made in that moment. The container of cat treats hitting the floor and splitting open before your very eyes and the sound of the hard bite-sized pieces scattering over the floor reverberating around the pair of you. The treats are interspersed with chew toys, tennis balls, and a green collar and now a bag of dog food being pawed at by one of the most beautiful creatures you've ever had the pleasure of laying your extremely tired eyes upon. Instinctively you crouch down, balancing precariously on your heels, to begin scratching the dog behind the ears, cooing all the while at how beautiful the animal is. It is in the moment that you hear a high-pitched giggle erupt above you that you realize that he's not entirely alone. When you finally gather enough courage to look at him your mouth runs dry, your heart starts beating faster, your breath hitches in your throat as you finally take in the sight before you gasping quietly before you glance over to his counterpart...your eyes locking with a pair of green eyes. You gasp louder this time while taking in the small angelic face, the honey brown bangs laying across her forehead, with her hair in lopsided ponytails.

"I'm Lex," say says, clapping her hands together and even though you're utterly exhausted you smile at her from your position on the floor, continually gathering the man's items into your arms in preparation to hand them back to him. You realize that it won't all fit in your small arm span when he crouches down to take some of the bulkier items from you, smiling gently as he introduces himself. "My name is Luke, and I am so sorry about this, I wasn't watching where I was going," he says, gently helping you into a standing position, his hand staying wrapped around your for a few moments longer than you were used to.

"I...my name is Penelope," you manage to stutter out while looking around you wildly, "I'm so sorry I was in a rush, I've been at work for a week straight..."you trail off tugging your fingers out of his hands to pull on the edge of your cardigan, righting it around your body before you lean down to pick up the dog pawing at your legs. "Who is this cutie," you ask, bringing her up to your face and kissing her, rubbing your face into her soft fur. "Oh, I'm sorry..." you mutter handing the dog back to Luke, your cheeks blushing a deeper shade of red.

"Her name is Roxy," the man says while gently taking the dog back into his arms, turning to place her in the back of the cart. "Lex and I just picked her up from the shelter." You smile at him, turning back to the small girl seated in the front of the carriage, you reach into your purse pulling out a figurine that was supposed to make its way onto your desk in the morning and hand it to the little girl.

"It's very nice to meet you, Lex," you say to the small girl before turning to the man, "It's nice to meet you too Luke. I should go," you say, turning away from the pair of them, reaching out to the end cap to wrap your hands around another container of treats before continuing down the corridor. As you walk you steady your heartbeat and control your breathing, making sure to walk slowly lest you fall on your face and add another notch to the already humiliating belt you were currently wearing. You glance behind you to see the two of them whispering where you left them and you hurry your steps in order to get out of the aisle faster.

"Penelope," he calls out and you stop just as you were turning the corner of the aisle, you spin around to face him, "we were just about to get some ice cream...do you want to join us?" When you look at him he's scratching the back of his neck, kicking at the cat treats still littered on the floor at his feet. Lex is peering around his body, smiling widely at you with a look of excitement written across her face, and so you do the only thing that comes naturally to you in that moment. You smile and nod, walking back to the duo.

"I just have to get home to feed Sergio," you say, holding up the small bag of cat food that you had picked up off the shelf. "But then I can meet you somewhere." Lex smiles up at you, grinning with two missing front teeth.

"Daddy always has ice cream at home, ever since he joined the Fumitive Team, it helps Abuela 'deal with me.'" she says, turning to fix the man with a stare. He chuckles while reaching out to gently tug on her ponytail, shaking his head he turns to you as he shoves his hands in his pockets, a faint hint of a blush creeping into his cheeks as he continues looking at the floor.

"Fugitive Task Force." he explains with a shrug of his shoulders, "I've just transferred to Virginia." You begin to dig deeper into your purse, your hands gripping around the folded credentials, you pull them out and open them quickly.

"Behavioral Analysis Unit," you reply, tucking the credentials back into your purse. "Let me feed Sergio and then I'll come by," you say, waving to Lex as you walk towards the registers.

"Don't you need my address?" he calls out, watching you walk away.

"Trust me, I'll be there," you say, placing your items on the belt as you turn to look at him, giving a smile to both father and daughter. You see Lex shaking her head, reaching around to pet Roxy with a sad smile, and a muted whisper of _She's not coming, daddy._

* * *

An hour later you stand on the front porch of a small one-story yellow house with a navy blue door, a mat at her feet announcing that she has arrived at _The Alvez's_ and you only ended up here because of the small sentence that Lex uttered when you walked away, and the extensive background check you ran the moment you were back home. You reach out to press the doorbell and smile widely when you hear barking in the distance and the excited squeal of a small child. You have changed out of your work clothes, instead settling into a pair of jeans, an off the shoulder band t-shirt that is two sizes too big, and a pair of well-worn converses. When he answers the door he looks shocked to see you but pleased all the same.

"Penelope Garcia, _the_ Technical Analyst for the Behavioral Analysis Unit, recruited to the FBI by Aaron Hotchner, and the best hacker, which is why you didn't need my address," he says, crossing his arms over his chest, and leaning against the frame to the door. When you look past him you see the stacks of boxes littering the entryway, each one labeled with a different room, some of them torn open with contents littering the surrounding area.

"Luke Alvez, Supervisory Special Agent with the Fugitive Task Force, former Army Ranger and single father to one Lexington Rose Alvez. The darling Lex is six, favorite Disney Princess is Belle, favorite color is purple, and favorite ice cream is strawberry." You say, lifting up a carton of strawberry ice cream and handing it to the small girl. When she runs off down the hall you turn back to her father, smiling softly at him. "We, my team mainly I just press buttons, chase down serial killers on a daily basis, I had to do a check on you, I'm sorry if I offended you by invading your privacy." You say, reaching up to tighten your ponytail, splitting the hair in half and giving it a gentle tug as you continue to look at the gorgeous man standing before you. His warm brown eyes searching your face with a soft smile.

"I called around about you too," he says, pushing himself off of the door and ushering you inside. "I understand the need to protect yourself and I'm sure you can understand the need to protect my daughter." You nod, as you turn to him, letting him lead you further into the house.

"So do you usually pick up women at the pet store?" you ask him as you both enter the kitchen to find the small girl digging into the carton of strawberry ice cream with a plastic fork. You watch as Luke reaches out to pull the fork from her fingers and laughing he replaces it with a spoon before turning back to you.

"You would be the first," he says, a sad smile playing across his face as he walks over to the freezer and pulling out two other cartons of ice cream, holding them up for you to choose. "Bowls aren't unpacked yet," he says, sliding the carton you chose over to you with a spoon on top apologizing with a small smile. You shrug, peeling the lid off of the container and dipping your spoon into the chocolate ice cream.

"I prefer it this way, the bowl messes with the flavor," you say glancing over at the small girl who is happily humming around her spoon.

"The last woman I picked up anywhere left a baby on my doorstep eleven months later with a note." He says, spooning the mint chocolate chip ice cream into his mouth, and you watch with bated breath as his lips grip the spoon, causing a small shiver to ripple through your body. "The only thing she gave her was a name and a blanket," he continues and you look up at him.

"I'm sorry," you say as you slowly reach out to cover his hand with your own for a few moments before pulling it back to your side. He shrugs and places another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth and once again you find yourself captivated by how his lips move around the utensil, your eyes never leaving his mouth. "You need help unpacking?" He laughs, his eyes flickering past your face to the mountain of boxes Roxy was trying to climb up and nods.

"Yeah, I guess I should tackle that at some point." he says, digging his spoon into Lex's carton of ice cream causing the girl to let out a pitiful " _daddy, don't"_ when Luke managed to scoop up a piece of a strawberry and pop it into his mouth with a large grin. Lex turns to you with wide eyes glistening with tears that you're sure could spill over at any moment and so you reach out with your spoon to his carton of ice cream, taking a large bite causing the small girl to laugh wildly, her still crooked pigtails tossed behind her shoulders. Tears long forgotten as Luke glared playfully at the two of you when you both went back in for more of his ice cream. You find yourself thinking that this is an odd predicament you found yourself in, but it doesn't feel wrong at all.


	2. Chapter 2

"How much stuff could one child possibly own?" You ask as you find yourself going through another box labeled with Lex's name, the small child had fallen asleep hours ago on the couch as you and Luke tackled the never-ending pile of boxes in his living room.

"You have no idea," he says, chuckling from the inside of her closet, "we donated a lot of it back in Arizona." When he emerges from the closet that you're sure is bigger than your bathroom he's smiling as you continue folding the small shirts and placing them in her drawers. "You didn't have to stay to help, I would've gotten around to it eventually." Closing the drawer you turn to him, looking up into his face from your position on the floor, and smile. You shrug, running your fingers through the hair at the front of your head, patting down the flyaways.

"It's nothing really," you reply, stretching your legs out in front of you, pointing your toes towards the window in order to stretch out your calves. Your shoes had long since been discarded as you and Luke continued to dwindle down the boxes. "I would've been home wallowing in self-pity anyway, this gives me something to do." You say in explanation before you stand to begin pulling the sheets onto the twin sized bed.

"I don't take you for the wallowing type," he says, moving to the other side of the bed in order to help you. You look up at him, noticing that his eyes have lingered on you far longer than they probably should have in his daughter's bedroom.

"I'm not usually," you reply, tossing the blanket onto the mattress and straightening it out. "But when you turn down a marriage proposal and effectively crush a guy..." you trail off, smoothing out the cases on the pillow, fixing the small stuffed animal that had fallen over in the shuffle. "You tend to reflect a lot after that, wondering what's wrong with you and all." When there is nothing left for you to fix in the room you let out a breath you didn't realize you had been holding and turn to look at him. You don't know what caused you to bare your emotions to this stranger, but you find yourself opening up to him.

"Why did you say no?" He asks, breaking down the box that is nearest to him and you reach out to trace your fingers over the doll that you had placed on her nightstand.

"We wanted different things in the end," you say, keeping your back to him. "He wanted a wife and kids and I didn't want to be trapped in a marriage because it was the right time for him. I couldn't help but feel as if there was more out there for me." You chuckle sadly, reaching out to fix the lampshade that you had knocked askew.

"That seems like a good reason to not get married," he says coming to stand by you. He reaches out to open the door, letting you walk into the hallway first before he turns off the light casting the both of you into darkness. You walk down to the living room where he pulls the blanket covering Lex over her shoulders once again before he goes to the fridge and pulls out two beers, opening them as he walks over to the back door, letting Roxy run out into the yard, the fading sun a beautiful backdrop to the galloping dog. He hands you a beer as you both settle onto the patio furniture, and you wonder if he had purchased the set or if it came with the house.

"I met Lex's mom in a bar," he begins "we were only together for the one night. I never thought I'd hear from her again until the day she called asking for my address." He shakes his head before taking a swig of his beer. "I told her I would be home around six, I was in the Phoenix Field Office that day just finishing up some paperwork, and when I looked up again I was running about ten minutes late. I texted her and got no response, I called and it went straight to voicemail." You turn to look at him, noticing how his eyes had glazed over, and you realize that it isn't looking into the yard anymore, but instead focused on a moment in the past. "When I got to my apartment the doorman told me that a woman had been by to see me and I thought nothing of it when he said that she left, I just figured she didn't want to wait for a guy she had only met once." he takes another pull from the bottle, clutching it by the neck between his open legs as he rests his forearms on his thighs. "So when I got to my door and I saw a car seat sitting there I nearly pulled my gun on her. She was so tiny. Robin left a half-assed apology note, a birth certificate, and a yellow blanket." He finishes, pressing the bottle to his lips again and taking a larger sip. You watch as he tilts his head back, the sharp lines of his jaw fading into his neck, and you find yourself wondering what it would feel like to kiss his skin. Instead, you take a sip of your beer, wincing slightly at the taste, it's been a few months since you actually drank one, the last time being with Kevin.

"She's a sweet kid." You say, letting the compliment settle between the pair of you.

"She's my entire world," he says, turning to look at you with a smile. "I'd do anything for her." You nod your head, knowing the weight of the words he speaks to you. You watch him finish his beer before you take another sip, preparing to finish yours. You sit in silence together, taking in the fading sun, the sky changing colors with each passing minute. And when your drink is gone you stand and rinse the bottle in his kitchen sink before tucking your hands into your back pockets, while turning to look at him.

"I should probably get going," you say, edging closer to the door and slipping your shoes back onto your feet. You reach down to scratch Roxy behind the ears when you grab your purse from the small hook he had tossed it on.

"Will we see you again?" he asks, scratching the back of his neck in what you've come to notice is his nervous tick. You smile from your crouched position in front of his dog.

"I've already programmed my personal number into your phone," you say, standing and reaching out for the door and opening it. "Call or text me, either one is good." You give him a slight wave before you close the door, leaning up against it once you hear the latch click behind you. Letting out a shaky breath you try to calm your nerves as you pull your keys out of your purse and take the first step away from him and towards your car. You don't notice the small face peering at you from the living room window as you pull away from the curb, but when you finally get home you can't help but feel as if something is missing.


	3. Chapter 3

You don't usually keep your personal phone on you when you're in the BAU but you find yourself doing just that the next few months, smiling each time it alerts you to an incoming call or text message. The calls are usually from Lex who asks you in rushed tones when the next time you were going to stop by for ice cream. This is only to hear Luke a few seconds later scolding his daughter for one using his phone and for two bothering Penelope when she was at work. You listen to the two of them bicker for a few seconds before he comes on the line to apologize, telling you that he will text you later, before abruptly ending the call, cutting short the _"but, daddy"_ you were sure was happening in his home. You chuckle, putting the phone back in your pocket before walking out of your office to make yourself a cup of tea.

"And what has my Baby Girl smiling like that today?" Derek asks, sliding up beside you and snatching your empty cup out of your hands. You shrug, reaching out to take your mug back, and pour the hot water into the empty space.

"Just the most adorable six-year-old girl I've ever met," you tell him, turning to him with a wide smile. "She calls me almost every day when she gets home from school." You continue, pulling your phone out of your pocket to look at the picture that just arrived. You smile when you see both of their faces turning the phone to show Derek.

"Cute kid, who's the guy?" he asks as he prepares himself a cup of coffee.

"That's Luke," you say moving the tea bag in order to distribute the flavor. "Her father." you continue in explanation.

"And her mother?" he asks, bringing the cup to his lips and taking a sip. You will never understand how he does that, does the coffee not burn his entire beautiful mouth. You continue to blow on the liquid in your cup, moving the steam away from your face.

"Not in the picture," he moves when you do, following you to your office as you pull your phone out of your pocket again, answering a text message. "To answer your next question, we met about six months ago in the pet store, I ran into him knocked everything all over the floor, Lex asked me for ice cream. I went to their house, we ate ice cream and I helped him unpack her bedroom. Yes, it was stupid. Yes, I did a check. No, I did not want to tell you about him in case..." you trail off when you notice Derek laughing at you. "What?" you ask him slamming your mug onto your desk.

"You've got it bad for the dad." He says, taking another sip of his coffee. You glare at him, his perfect lines leaned up against your desk, and you wave your arms at him shooing him off of your furniture.

"What do you know?" you ask him, pushing him closer to the door.

"I know you." He says, turning around to place a kiss on your forehead. "And I know you like the guy." He finished before leaving. You yell into the hall after him, growling when he doesn't turn around.

"Stupid profilers." you mutter before turning back to your office, closing the door behind you and walking back to your desk. When you've settled into your seat again and have pulled up the latest case file that needed your attention you hear your phone ringing.

"Garcia," you answer, fingers flying across the keys as you wait for the other person on the line to speak.

"So..." he begins and you smile when his voice reaches your ears. "Lex wants to know if you will join us at the park."

"Sure," you respond as you continue to work on the case in front of you, entering the steps you took in order to help the team catch the UnSub that week. "I've got a few cases to finish typing up and then I can meet you." When you disconnect the call he sends you a text with the name of the park and you find yourself typing faster in order to finish the reports, wanting nothing more than to be at the park with Lex and her very cute father. Once you're finished you reboot your computer, installing the necessary updates and wave to the others on your way out of the door. You take a few moments to stop at home so that you can change into a pair of pants and more comfortable shoes.

* * *

"Penelope?" You turn your attention to the small girl that you're currently guiding towards the swings. You give her a small smile when you notice that she's a bit nervous and you find yourself wondering what is giving the otherwise fearless child such pause. "Do you think it would be okay if I called you Penny?" she asks, rushing out the question so quickly you almost didn't catch it. You laugh as you lift Lex into the seat of the swing, and nod.

"Only my very best friends call me Penny," you say, watching her face fall as she grips the chain of the swing. "And you, Lex, you're one of my very best friends." Your heart does a small flip in your chest when she looks at you with her wide grin, her eyes filled with excitement. You take your position behind her, giving her a gentle push in order to get the swing moving. "Don't forget to bend your legs, Lex," you call out to her as you turn to watch Luke who is playing with Roxy across the park. You find that you are undeniably attracted to the man as you watch the way his arm flexes as he releases the ball, and you wonder if it would be acceptable for you to move on, even though your relationship with Kevin ended a few short months ago.

After a few minutes Luke and Roxy run over to the pair of you, he's about to say something when your phone rings. You pull it out of your pocket and groan at the alert you received from your boss, informing you of the case that is waiting. When you look up Lex is standing before you, clutching onto Roxy's collar with a sad look on her face.

"I have to go," you say to her, your heart breaking into small pieces as she looks down at her shoes, and you realize that they are untied, you crouch down and take the laces into your hands as you continue talking. "But I promise I'll see you again soon, Lex." She doesn't acknowledge you after a few moments so you turn to Luke, giving him a sad smile before you tuck your phone back into your pocket in exchange for your keys. "I'll call you," you say to him, before you head off for your car, leaving the small family behind.


	4. Chapter 4

You let yourself into the yellow house after knocking on the door once, calling out to the inhabitants of the home that you have arrived, and locking the front door behind you. You toss your bag and your keys on the kitchen island as you walk down the hallway, pulling your hair into a bun on the top of your head pausing in the doorway to her bedroom to watch the duo paint one wall. Lex was currently situated on Luke's shoulders as she ran a paintbrush across the wall belting out the lyrics to _I just can't wait to be King._ You tilt your head back and laugh when Luke roars with the song causing both father and daughter to turn and look at you. Lex had decided that the first thing she wanted to do on her summer vacation was to repaint her bedroom, and of course, you had been recruited for the job. After knowing the small girl for close to eight months you knew that there was no telling the child no, and so you cleared your schedule, canceling Girl's Night with JJ in order to be here.

"Penny!" the little girl yells, squirming her way off of her father's neck and sliding down his back in order to run to you her little arms wrapping around your legs before you can lean down to give her a hug.

"Hi, Penny," Luke says, turning back to the wall and continuing to brush the light blue paint onto the previously yellow walls.

"Daddy, only Penny's best friends can call her that," Lex reminds him, walking over to dip her brush into the pan. "And you are not her best friend." she finishes, sticking her tongue out. You laugh, peeling your sweatshirt off of your body and tossing it into her closet. Luke has the decency to feign hurt as you walk over to the pile of unused paint tools.

"She has a point, Luke," you say as you pick up the nearest paint tool and walking over to dip it into the paint before moving to his other side. By the time the first wall is finished, Lex has receded to the other side of the room to play with her toys as you and Luke move onto the next wall, painting in silence.

"Thanks for coming," he says and you look over at him and smile, noticing the flecks of blue paint on his cheeks and in his beard. You chuckle and he looks at you confused for a moment before you reach out to wipe a small bead of paint off of his cheek. He smiles at you, leaning his face into your palm for a second before he realizes that it's wet. You're grinning at him and Lex lets out a loud peal of laughter when she sees a blue handprint on her father's face. "Oh, Penny, you're going to regret that," he says as he leans down to press both of his hands into the paint, giving you a few seconds to take off to the other side of the room, hiding behind Lex. "Don't think I don't know she's your accomplice." He says, stalking closer as you and Lex both take off out of the room and race to the backyard.

The both of you hide on the side of the house, and when it is silent for a few moments you send Lex into the backyard, telling her to let you know if her father is around. When she announces that it's clear you remove yourself from the small walkway, letting out a shriek when you see him standing at the door to the backyard, hands still full of paint. You look at Lex who shrugs her shoulders at you. He comes into the backyard chasing you as you zigzag across the lawn and eventually make it back into the house, making sure to slam the door shut. You don't hear him come in and so you let out a deep breath when after five minutes neither father nor daughter enters the bedroom.

When you finally pick up your paintbrush to continue the job you came here for he bursts into the room, wrapping his arms around you, effectively smearing paint over your white tank top. You spin in his arms swiping the paintbrush across his face in the process and gasp when he looks down at you with a wide smile. And for a moment the world stands still around the two of you. He's looking at you with such intensity, and you're hyper-aware of the way your breasts are moving against his chest, his fingers burning holes into your sides. When he slides his hands up your arms to cup your cheeks, he trails the blue paint with him as you let out a gasp, a shiver of excitement spreading throughout your body. You close your eyes in anticipation of what is sure to happen, talking yourself into letting him kiss you because Derek was right, after all, you did have it bad for him.

"Daddy, what're you doing to Penny?" you have to physically stop yourself from groaning as he pulls away from you, the warmth his body provided receding with each step that he took.

"Nothing baby, I just finally caught her." he says before reaching down to pick up his paintbrush again.

* * *

"I love the color she chose." you say as you sit down beside him on the back porch, peeling dry paint off of your arms, realizing that you can't wait to get home and take a shower. Luke turns to look at you, smiling and hands you a beer, which you take with a small thank you, tipping the neck of the bottle towards him.

"She says it reminds her of you," he explains, turning his attention back to the yard. "You've captivated my daughter, Penelope." He doesn't reach out to you, and you find that you're too scared to reach out for him. Your mind is filling with doubts that you thought you had combatted long ago, wondering if he was really attracted to you, or was it just the heat of the moment that you both found yourselves in.

"She's captivated me too, Luke," you say, bringing the bottle to your lips and taking a long sip. You can't help the smile that crosses your face when you begin to tell him of how much she reminds you of yourself when you were a little girl, spinning into a story of when you painted your bedroom with your parents many years ago. "You're doing a good job with her," you tell him, placing the bottle between your feet which are also coated in light blue paint.

"I hope so," he says, leaning over to bump his shoulder against yours, sending a shockwave of tingles through your body. "I hope she doesn't ever resent me for not having a mother." You shake your head at him, keeping your eyes trained on the blades of grass in front of you.

"Everyday girls grow up without their mothers," you say, reaching up to brush a tear off of your cheek. "She's lucky that she has a father that cares." You reach down to grab your still full beer and bring it to your lips, taking a swallow before you can delve into tears.

"I'm sorry if I was inappropriate earlier," he says, not turning to look at you. You smile and lean over to brush your shoulder against his. The action sending goosebumps over your flesh and a ripple of excitement through your stomach. He doesn't move away from you when you continue to lean against him, instead reaching out to tentatively wrap his arm around your waist. You suck in a breath and your body stills as his fingers curl around your side, applying pressure and eventually you relax in his half embrace.

"It wasn't inappropriate," you whisper, your eyes never leaving the backyard spread out before the two of you. You're not sure he heard you and you know that you're not going to exclaim the statement louder and face the second bout of rejection when he stiffens. You begin to pull yourself away from him, his hold tightening on you as you try to slide across the deck step. "Luke..." you question, your eyes flickering over to his face.

"The last woman I tried to date ran off when she found out about Lex. She was still a baby then. Then three years ago there was another woman, but between work and Lex I didn't have much time, and when I had to spend so much time working on the Crimson King case...she didn't stick around either. But you're different." He says, rushing the words out before taking another sip of his beer. "You came over after just meeting us. You keep coming back, and I was attracted to you that day in the pet store but it's just grown over the past months. You're consistent, Penelope, even though you get called away for work sometimes, you're a constant in her life when all she's ever had is me and my mother." He takes his final sip of beer. "You make my kid happy and in turn that makes me happy. And I wasn't sure if I wanted to kiss you because I like you or because you love my daughter. But now I know it's both, _Penny."_ He finishes, gripping your chin in his hands and guiding your lips to his.

"Only my very best friends can call me Penny," you say, lips almost touching his and your heart is beating so wildly in your chest that you're sure it's going to fly out of its cavity at any minute. It's a statement that you've been uttering since you were a child and you find that you will never stop saying it to people who presume to know you.

"Are we not friends, _Penny."_ He asks, rubbing his thumb along your cheek, his fingers scraping against the dried paint. Your breathing is ragged as he maintains a firm grip on your waist and you're not sure which hand to focus on when he finally presses his lips against yours. Moving the hand that was trailing along your face to tangle in the back of your hair, pulling you closer to him on his back porch. You find yourself lost in the moment, uttering soft moans of approval as he pulls you onto his lap, his hand moving from your waist to slide up the back of your tank top, leaving heated skin in his wake. Your hips are moving against his on their own accord and you find that you don't want to stop them and so you don't, continuing to press your lips against his. Your hands move up to grip his face, pulling him closer to you as you suck his bottom lip into your mouth and bite it, eliciting a groan from his parted lips. You can taste the beer on his tongue when they finally meet, his hands pulling the elastic from your hair and allowing it to tumble around the two of you, shielding your faces from the harsh light of the moon. Eventually, you pull back in order to continue breathing, realizing that you have essentially molded into one person on the back deck. You're still in his lap with your chest heaving and his hands are still attached to your body, both of them keeping you close to his chest. You reach out to wrap your arms around him, pulling his head to the top of your breasts and leaning your cheek on the top of his head which is also coated in blue paint.

"We can be so much more than that." you whisper into the night as your breathing finally settles back into a normal rhythm.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

Three weeks later you find yourself running into the building a half hour later than you normally would, swiping your badge at check-in and tossing your bag onto the belt in order for it to be scanned by security. Your Bluetooth headset begins to ring in your ear and you groan at the fact that your absence hasn't gone unnoticed when you answer the call.

"Yes sir, I'm in the elevator now, I had slight car troubles this morning." You say into the set as you enter the elevator, pushing the button for level six and looking around you impatiently as you wait for the other employees shuffling into work late to file into the elevator. Your eyes lock with a pair that you recognize and you immediately smile at him as he makes his way to stand by you, looking at a younger agent until he moves out of Luke's way. You hold a finger up to him, pointing to your ear as Hotch continues to talk to you about the current case that had just come to his attention. Instinctively you reach out and clasp your hand around his, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze as you jot down notes on your phone, preparing yourself to set up three searches the second you get back to your office.

When the elevator finally reaches the sixth floor you realize that he's missed his stop and has followed you out of the elevator, trailing behind you to your office. He remains silent as he looks around him, taking in the sight he's never had the pleasure to see before, as you turn on your computer and prepare your system to run the searches that your boss requested. After a few minutes you give Hotch the information he wanted before pulling the small set out of your ear and replacing it with your headset, and you turn in your chair to look at Luke who is captivated by a picture of the entire team taken a while ago.

"I'm sorry," you begin, "I've been on back to back cases the past three weeks and we just got another one. Did Lex get the books I sent to her?" you ask, urging him to turn around and look at you, and when he does your heart starts to beat faster, and you find yourself wishing that it would stop doing so. He smiles and nods, coming to sit in the other chair that you leave set up in case you get visitors, which you rarely ever do.

"She's had me reading to her all week." He says, lifting his cup of coffee to his lips and pulling a sip from the small opening in the white cover.

"We FaceTimed when you were in the shower the other day," you say, turning around to pull up the second half of your system, leaving it to run a search of all criminals in Providence, Rhode Island while your team boards the jet. He chuckles, his head nodding as he looks at you.

"I know, it's all I heard about that night," he says, rolling his chair over to you and reaching out to grab your hand. "Why didn't you wait to say goodnight to me too?" he asks, rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand. You look up at him and blush, your cheeks tinting a shade of red that causes heat to rise in your face. You avoid the question, instead calling your team in order to fill them in on the new body that just popped up on your computer screen.

" _Thanks, Baby Girl,"_ you feel him stiffen next to you and you sigh as you disconnect the call. You don't turn to him right away, instead, you remain facing your monitors.

"There's a movie playing that I think Lex will like," you begin "can we take her this weekend?" you ask, pinching the bridge of your nose and hoping that he wouldn't bring up the pet name.

"Baby Girl?" he asks, leaning back in the chair with his legs crossed at his ankles. You shake your head, turning back to him with a smile.

"That's Derek, he's called me Baby Girl for as long as we've been working together," you say in explanation. "He's my best friend and he's dating a very lovely woman, a doctor I believe." you continue as you roll over to him. "So, about that movie?" you ask, reaching out to place your hand on his knee. He looks up at you and nods while taking another sip of his coffee.

"And dinner," he says, looking down at your hand resting on his knee. You find yourself wondering how your hand on his body effects him as you remember back to the other night. You hope that it affects him the same way his touch effects you.

"Dinner?" you ask, looking up at him, rubbing your thumb against the soft material of his pants.

"We can take Lex to the movie, but then I am taking you to dinner," he says before standing and walking over to your office door. "Is that okay?" he asks, his confidence wavering as you remain silent. He's looking at you over his shoulder and so you nod, swallowing the words that were threatening to spill out of your mouth.

* * *

A week later you pull up outside of their house with a pizza in one hand and a movie in the other, you had texted about an hour ago informing Luke that your team was heading home and you were dying to see Lex. Your happy mood spreading to your team as you passed them in the hallway, shouting out goodbyes and dodging questions of where you were off to the second Luke had texted you back that they were both home. Once again you find yourself knocking on the door before letting yourself in making sure to lock the door behind you, only to be greeted by loud barking from an excited dog.

"Penny!" Lex yells as she crashes into you, jumping into your arms and causing you to drop the pizza on the floor in order to secure the small child to your chest. You laugh and hug her tighter to you. "I missed you!" she says as she pulls back to take in your face, looking at you like she hasn't seen you in years before she leaned forward to wrap her arms around your neck again squeezing you tighter.

"I've missed you too, Lex," you tell her, looking up at Luke who is standing at the end of the hallway leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, a pleased smile playing across his lips. You smile at him.

"Daddy missed you too, he kept talking about you," Lex says in a loud whisper, causing you to chuckle and look back at Luke.

"Is that so, little Lex?" You question, noticing that Luke has crept closer to the two of you and picked the fallen pizza up from the floor.

"That's enough of that," he mutters, pulling his daughter from you, brushing his fingers across your neck as he does so, your eyes closing as the sensation takes over you and letting out a small groan.

"Are you okay, Penny?" Lex asks, reaching out to tug on your arm. You nod, looking down at her and smiling, handing her the movie that was currently clutched in your hand.

"Do you want to watch _Mulan_ with me?" you ask her, changing the subject and ignoring the laughter that is coming from her father. You smile, watching the way her eyes widen in excitement. You take the beer Luke hands you, his fingers sending a shock of electricity through your hand when they touch, and you quickly press the bottle to your lips and take a sip, suppressing a moan.

"Only if you promise to stay for breakfast," Lex says after a moment, her fingers tapping her chin as you sputter, beer falling onto your lips. Your eyes quickly looking over at Luke who has gone completely red in the face, his movements stilled as his eyes are trained on Lex. He's not daring to look at you and for that you are grateful. Thoughts of his body covering yours in his bedroom, which you've yet to see cloud your mind, causing you to wipe your mouth with the back of your hand. "You can take my bed and I'll sleep with Daddy." she continues, racing out of the hallway and into the living room, leaving both you and Luke alone for a moment. Before you can say anything he has you pressed against the wall, his lips covering yours silencing a moan when his tongue darts into your mouth.

"My daughter will sleep in her own bed," he says, his lips pressing against your neck as you struggle to breathe in the aftermath of the bruising kiss. "If you ever decide to spend the night, that is," he's gone before you can process the statement, calling out to Lex to get the movie started and grabbing the pizza as he goes, leaving you standing in the hallway with a hammering heart. A fire burning so deep inside of you that you're not sure you will ever be able to tame it.

"Penny, are you coming?" Lex calls out to you, her tiny head sticking out around the corner to look at you. You smile at the small girl, pushing yourself off of the wall and running your fingers through your hair before you follow the sounds of the movie deeper into the house.


	6. Chapter 6

Movie theaters never held the best of memories for you as your mind always travels back to the times you would be squished into the seat between your parents on a dreary Saturday afternoon. You would be dragged there once your parents ran out of ideas in order to keep you occupied at home in the forty-eight hours that you didn't have to attend school. As a small child, you used to love the attention that they paid to you on these days and you found yourself praying for rain on your days off from school. But eventually you began to grow up and Saturday dates with your parents became a source of embarrassment. However, Saturday dates with your parents also became something you wished that you could have again, and you find yourself questioning your motives as you drive to meet the father and daughter duo that held your affections as of late. Your fingers are tapping along with the song that is currently playing on your radio as you turn onto the small street that they live on. When you finally place your car in park in front of their house, letting the engine idle for a moment you pull down the visor and proceed to look at yourself. Wiping at the tears that gathered under your eyes at the thought of your parents you close your eyes and take a deep breath, steadying yourself for the afternoon ahead.

When you look up again you can see Lex standing on the front porch which now proudly holds an American Flag. She's waving her arms at you erratically and you smile and send her a small wave in return as you begin to gather the items you will need for the afternoon, shoving your phone into the left side of your bra and grabbing an extra elastic off of the shifter in case Lex needs to pull her hair back during the afternoon. When you finally exit your vehicle Luke has joined his daughter on the front porch and you can't stop yourself from thinking that he looks incredibly delicious in a pair of cargo shorts, a light blue t-shirt, and a pair of converses that you find match his daughter's. You smile at him, keeping your sunglasses on your face as they are the only reason you can currently see, and approach Lex with your arms open.

"Lex!" The excitement in your voice doesn't go unnoticed by you as she runs over to you and wraps her arms around you in a tight hug. She runs over to the blue truck once she lets go and you decide to turn your attention to her father, reaching out to slide your hand into his in a quick greeting, as you both haven't sat down to talk to Lex about your budding relationship.

"So," he begins, his right hand reaching up to scratch at the base of his skull and you smile warmly at the sight. "I really want to kiss you right now, and I was hoping that after the movie we could tell her about us." He says, looking down at his shoes before looking at your face. You take your hand out of his and move your sunglasses up on your head, pushing your hair out of your face.

"Or, we could take her out for frozen yogurt and tell her now," you suggest, looking at him and biting your bottom lip. "I think I was trying to recreate my childhood today and it's...I want to focus on happy things. The future." You tell him as you grip his hand again.

"So you see a future with me?" He asks, turning to you with a cheeky grin. Your eyes dart between him and his daughter with a soft smile.

"Lex, do you want to go get frozen yogurt instead of a movie?" You call out to her, avoiding his question. The small child ponders your question, turning her palms up in front of her and begins literally weighing her options before she turns to you with a nod.

"Sure, but I also want to bring Roxy," she says turning back to the house in order to get the other girl in Luke's life, and he jogs off after her. You find yourself pulling your hair over one shoulder and braiding it, the weight of it in this summer heat something that you can't deal with. When the three of them return and Luke has buckled both Lex and Roxy into their respective seats in the back he helps you into his truck and buckles you in, pausing in front of your face with a slow smile and a deliberate lick of his lips. You let out a laugh, throwing your head back as you push against his face, and settling your sunglasses back onto your face as he walks around the truck.

He chooses a table that is situated under a tree and upon further inspection, you find that the tree has grown around the table, a point which Lex finds amazing. The tree provides ample shade and you decide to switch your sunglasses for a blue pair of glasses that you have floating around in your purse. The action giving you something to focus on as you battle your nerves of telling one of your favorite people in this world that you're dating her father. You had known the pair of them for well over a year and you find yourself wondering exactly where this year had disappeared to.

"Princess," he begins, clearing his throat and you look at him in confusion at the nickname. He shakes his head with a laugh and looks back at his daughter. "Lex, Penny and I wanted to talk to you about something." He amends and you smile at him while digging your spoon into his frozen yogurt to grab a cheesecake bite. Lex doesn't look up but hums a sound to show you both that she is listening as she continues eating her treat. You look over at Roxy who is lapping slowly at a cup of vanilla frozen yogurt, ignoring the three of you as she does.

"You're not supposed to call her that, Daddy," she says after she finishes chewing on a gummy bear. "You get upset with me when I don't listen..." Lex trails off and you have to cough to suppress a laugh.

"This is different, Lex," he says, scratching at the back of his head again looking over to you for help, to which you hurriedly shove a spoonful of your yogurt into your mouth and look at him with wide eyes and a shake of your head. She had always been nothing but kind and respectful to you ever since you met her, but this was new and uncharted territory for the both of you. The pair of you had discussed in length that you were the first woman he was ever going to introduce to Lex as his girlfriend, and it frightened you both equally. " _Penelope_ and I wanted to let you know that we like each other," he finally says, spooning some of his melting yogurt into his mouth and you find yourself watching once again as his mouth wraps around the plastic spoon. You've never wanted to be an inanimate object before in your life, but today was a day of firsts.

"I know." She shrugs and looks up at the both of you with a smile. Her tongue pushing into the space between her teeth on the right side of her mouth. You smile back at her, remembering the poorly written text message alerting you that she had lost another tooth last night.

"You know?" He asks turning to look at you before he looks back at his daughter. "How?"

"I saw you two kissing last week," she says reaching out to take a bit of Luke's yogurt. You reach out to wipe at the corner of her mouth with a napkin, a bit of the strawberry yogurt had spilled over as she finished up her bowl. Luke turns his head to look back at you, yogurt forgotten and you can tell by his eyes that he's begging you to say something. You clear your throat after emitting a small giggle which earns you a glare from the man.

"Are you okay with that?" You ask her. She looks back up at you with a wide grin.

"I can't wait to tell Abuela," she says inching her spoon into your cup for the cherry you pushed off to the side for her. "She owes me five dollars!"

You look back at Luke, eyes wide, mouthing the words _did she bet money on us?_ He nods, speechless as he watches his daughter happily eating the remnants of your frozen yogurt. He reaches out to tuck a piece of hair behind your left ear and smiles softly at you, reaching over he places a gentle kiss on your lips before leaning his forehead against yours.

"I don't know why you were so scared." He whispers and you let out a laugh, pushing on his chest but he refuses to move away from you. He rubs his thumb over your left cheek and you lean your face into his palm, your eyes closing with a soft sigh. "I'm going to let my daughter collect her money tonight because I'm taking you out on a proper date." He whispers as his mouth hovers over your ear, his breath causing a sudden rush of desire to run through you with his words.


	7. Chapter 7

"Penny, you look so pretty!" The small child exclaims as she watches you put on the finishing touches to your makeup for the night. Her father is currently sitting on your couch, nervously twisting his fingers together, and you find yourself laughing at the fact that he can kiss you, he can allude to other sexual activities, but the sheer thought of a date is causing him to stutter. "What's that?" she asks, pointing to the item you were currently holding up to your open eye.

"This is mascara." You explain to her, holding out the wand for her inspection. "It's used to make eyelashes longer and darker." Lex nods her head, her bangs flouncing over her eyes.

"Can I wear some for my birthday party next month?" You look over at her and smile, twisting the mascara closed and picking up your favorite lipstick.

"Maybe in about another ten years," you say to her, peeking at Luke in the bathroom mirror. He's nodding his head, a look of panic on his face when he had heard his daughter's question.

"How long did you wait until you wore makeups, Penny?" she asks, reaching into your bag to pull out a small eyeshadow palette and you chuckle.

"I was sixteen." you tell her, piling the makeup back into your bag and storing it under the sink before you moved over to make sure that Sergio's box was clean and washing your hands, lifting Lex up so that she can wash hers as well.

"Sixteen, that's forever away!" The small girl exclaims, racing out into the living room and sitting next to her father. "Doesn't Penny look pretty, Daddy?" she asks, tugging on his jacket. He turns his head to take in your appearance as you walk into the room, black heels situated on your feet and a bright purple dress which accentuated your hips with a modest v-cut neckline, displaying a hint of cleavage. His mouth is open, his eyes roving from your head to your feet and back up again as he nods, licking his lips before he realizes that he's staring at you.

"Let's get you to Abuela's house," he says to Lex, hefting her up onto his hip and walking over to the door, making sure to hold it open for you as you pass by him. The drive only lasted a few minutes, all of them punctuated with rushed words of what Lex planned to do with her grandmother on their sleepover, and it all started with painting her nails. You laugh as you reach into your purse, handing her your favorite shade of blue nail polish, and smile when she begins to gush out her thanks.

"You didn't have to do that," Luke says when he pulls the car into the driveway of a two-story green home. You shrug your shoulders and take a deep breath, keeping yourself buckled as Lex begins to undo her seatbelt and race out of the car.

"Aren't you coming?" she asks, looking at you through the window you had rolled down. "I told Abuela all about you," she tells you as she opens your door and takes your hand. You look over at Luke who is smiling and rubbing his hand across his jaw, his fingers grazing over the stubble that you find yourself wishing was scraping across your skin. Before you could come up with an excuse to stay in the car you hear another voice join yours, calling out for her son and granddaughter.

"Abuela, Penny is here!" Lex says, racing up the driveway in order to greet the older woman. "Can I have my five dollars?" You take a deep breath, steadying yourself in your heels and exiting the car with assistance from Luke, your hand sliding into the one he has held out for you. He keeps his hand wrapped around yours in silent support, but you know that he's enjoying the fact that his daughter trapped you into meeting his mother on your very first date. You realize that while you and Luke had been exploring your feelings for one another for several months, neither of you wanted to cross over into the next steps of a relationship until you had sat down with Lex. You walk up to the woman and reach out to shake her hand but let out a small yelp when she reaches forward to wrap you into a warm hug.

"My name is Maria," she says, leaning back and smiling at you, the corners of her eyes crinkling. She had shining green eyes that matched Lex's and you realize that she didn't get those from her mother like you had originally thought she had. There was a soft glimmer in her eyes as she looked at you with a small smile as you return her hug before pulling away from the older woman.

"Penelope," you reply "it's lovely to meet you." You say, tucking a piece of hair behind your ears. Luke has crouched down in front of Lex with his hands on her shoulders and was giving her instructions that she was to behave for her grandmother or else there would be no ice cream for a week. You find yourself smiling softly at the display, your heart beating faster in your chest as you watch Luke with his daughter. And you shake your head to clear your thoughts of what could come to be between the two of you. You had found yourself thinking about your future with the two of them more and more over the past few months.

"She loves you," Maria whispers, leaning over to you. You smile and nod your head, your eyes flickering from her son to her for a moment.

"I love her too," you whisper back. Luke begins to stand after giving his daughter a hug, kissing the top of her head in the process. You watch as Lex walks over to you and opens her arms for a hug as well. You lean down and wrap the small child into your arms, wishing her sweet dreams and telling her that you will see her soon.

"Ready to go?" Luke asks, placing his hand on the small of your back, leading you towards the car. Speechless you nod your head, waving to Maria and Lex. "Thank you, Mami," he says, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I'll call you after dinner to check in on her."

* * *

The restaurant is quiet tonight, you realize, when you see the waiters milling around and you're thankful for that. Luke is looking at the glass the waiter had poured his beer into with a grimace and you clear your throat causing him to look up at you from the glass.

"I get enough Italian food at work from one of the Agents on my team," you begin tossing your head towards the entrance. "Let's go find a pizza." Standing from the table you reach your hand out to him and watch as he clasps his hand in yours. He pulls out his wallet with his other hand, opening it on the table and tossing several bills onto the top of the bare plates before he leads you out of the restaurant. His hand on the small of your back, fingertips leaving a fire underneath your dress, and you're pretty sure that you've made up your mind in this moment. You had known him for over a year, Lex was aware of your relationship, and you wanted him so badly that it hurt you sometimes.

"Sometimes I forget that I used to spend Friday nights on dates and not curled up on the couch with Lex." You turn to look at him in front of the restaurant with a smile as you both wait for the valet to bring the truck around to the front.

"I've been to fancy restaurants in my life," you say to him, leaning up to place a kiss on his cheek. "I laugh too loud, talk too fast, and drink too much to be able to conduct myself properly." He helps you into the front seat of the truck, reaching into buckle you again and this time when he pauses his face in front of yours he leans in to gently place his lips to yours. "Besides, I can't kiss you in a stuffy restaurant." You whisper against his lips as your mouth curls into a large grin.

It takes you a few seconds to pull up a pizza place on your phone and he holds your hand as you direct him. His thumb rubbing over the back of your hand a delicious distraction from the nerves that are currently coursing through your body. When you're seated inside the restaurant, with a bottle of beer placed before him, you see him relax. His posture changing as he loosens his tie, shrugging off his jacket, and leaning down into the booth.

"We've known each other over a year, Luke." You reach out to pull your beer to your lips, wrapping them around the opening, and watch as his eyes darken in the dim lighting.

"I don't want to screw this up..." he says, gripping his own beer in his hands and picking at the label on the neck. "I stopped wishing you would come along a while ago, sure that no woman would want to be with a man who had a daughter." He looks up at you with a half grin and a shrug of his shoulders.

"I can't speak for other women," you begin, reaching out to lace your fingers with his on top of the table "But it doesn't matter to me that you have a past, and a really adorable daughter that came from that past. It's their loss and my gain." You watch as he leans down to press a kiss to the back of both of your hands.

"How did I ever find you?" He asks, staring up at you in amazement. You let out a laugh and shrug your shoulders.

"I'm not coordinated at all and I literally ran into you, had we been on the street there would have been insurance claims involved." You move your hands back as the pizza arrives and you both take a slice and blow on the food before placing it in your mouth. It doesn't escape you as to how your eyes dart to the side of you, waiting for Lex's little hands to reach out to grab a piece of pizza, and you find that you miss her. He places his piece back on the table and wipes his mouth with a napkin.

"I stood there on purpose," he admits looking at you with a large grin. "I saw you running down the aisle and I knew I had to talk to you." You sputter and toss a crumpled napkin at him, landing the toss on the tip of his nose, and glare at him with amusement in your eyes.

"You did not, I wasn't paying attention," he cuts you off with a shake of his head and a large smile.

"No, I had a carriage, Pen, why else would I have all that stuff in my hands?" He says, letting out a laugh as realization dawns on your face.

"You staged the whole thing?" You ask him quietly, looking down at your hands. "Why?"

"Lex helped, she piled everything into my arms," he says, taking another sip of his beer. "I don't believe in love at first sight, but something told me I had to talk to you. I'm glad I listened." He finishes his sentence and his slice of pizza before reaching in for another.

"I was a mess that day," you tell him, picking at the crust of your unfinished slice. "I had run into my ex-boyfriend minutes before leaving work and he was parading his new girlfriend around. We had just finished a terrible case and I hadn't showered in two days."

"You were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in that moment," he whispers, plucking the food out of your hand. "Look at me," he demands, tilting your chin up in order for you to look at him "you are beautiful, inside and out. Let me take you home?" he asks, and you find yourself nodding at him, standing on shaky legs after you slide out of the booth. You're hyper-aware of his hands as they run down your back as he guides you to the truck. You find yourself quiet as he drives you home, his right hand laced in your left with his thumb rubbing back and forth across the top. Silently you watch the street signs roll past, each inching you closer to your home and the decision you had already made previously in the night. A soft song filters through the speakers and you hear him humming along, a soft smile creeping onto your face at the fact that it was a children's song, one of Lex's favorites. When he pulls up to your house and places the car in park you turn to him and place your lips on his, tugging on his tie gently, and it doesn't take him long to recognize the invitation.

"Thank you for coming out with me," he says once you arrive at your front door, watching you unlock it before you turn back to him in the hallway. He reaches up to place a hand on the door above your head, his other hand reaching out to grip your waist, pulling you closer to him, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. You find that your eyes are trained on his lips, captivated by the way the dim light of the hallway glistens off of the now moistened skin. You nod your head leaning forward to press your mouth against his, letting out a low moan when his hand leaves the door to cup the back of your head as he presses his body against yours. You realize that he was protecting your head from the force of the door as he slammed both of your bodies against the wood. He pulls away from you and leans his forehead against yours, his breath coming out in short gasps as you reach behind you to turn the doorknob, your hand reaching out to drag him into your apartment. You let out a breathy moan as he lifts your dress up your thighs before he picks you up, your legs circling his waist as he carries you past the doorway of beads and into your bedroom.


	8. Chapter 8

It's the end of August when you're cleaning up after Lex's seventh birthday party, the small child is currently running out the remnants of her sugar high with Roxy in the backyard when Luke comes up to wrap his arms around you at the sink. He dips his head into the crook of your neck and pulls at the skin with his teeth. You groan and reach your hand up to run through his hair, giving it a gentle tug as he places a kiss against the spot he just bit.

"Luke..." you giggle, squirming in his grasp, turning yourself in his embrace you slide your soapy arms around his neck, letting the water drip from your fingertips onto his back. "I am trying to do the dishes." You lean forward to kiss him.

"I know but I've been wanting to get my hands on you all day," he says, pressing his lips to yours again, only pulling apart from you when Lex runs into the house and in between the both of you. She reaches up to tug at the bottom of your sundress after knocking Luke's hands off of your waist with a glare at her father.

"Penny, I start school next week, will you come with Daddy to take me?" she asks, wrapping her arms around your waist and placing her chin at the base of your stomach, she looks up at you with wide eyes. You reach out and run your hand over her head, smiling and nodding as your eyes flicker to Luke's checking to make sure that you're not intruding. His warm eyes telling you silently that he would be more than happy to have you accompany the both of them on the first day of school.

"Of course I will be there, Lex, I wouldn't miss it for the world. Now, are all of your presents in your bedroom?" You ask her and laugh as she takes off into the backyard again, Roxy hot on her heels.

"You don't have to go," Luke says, watching his daughter run around the backyard. "She'll understand if you can't get the time off of work," he reaches up to scratch at the back of his head again, and you smile at him and place a kiss on the tip of his nose.

"I will be there, serial killers be damned," you tell him before turning back to the sink. "Now let me finish washing these dishes." You say, swatting at his hands that were trailing up the sides of your thighs, pulling your dress further up your legs as he continued his ascent on your body.

"Fine," he says, pressing a kiss to the back of your neck and slapping playfully at your backside. "Penelope, are you not..." he whispers, groaning into your neck. You turn your head to grin at him and give him a wink. "You're killing me, woman." He finishes, before walking into the backyard to help Lex bring the rest of her toys inside. You look up to see Maria smiling at you both from the living room, where she was pulling streamers off of the wall, and you find yourself smiling back at her with a slight blush creeping up your cheeks.

"You're dependable," she says, stacking another few dishes near the side of the sink before moving over to wrap the leftovers. The older woman pauses in her movements and turns to face you as she places the tin foil on the marble countertop.

"Lex deserves at least that," you respond as you continue washing the dish that was gripped in your hands, the movement of the sponge coaxing you through the montage of thoughts parading through your brain, the feel of his hands still dancing over your skin. Yes, washing the dishes calms your rapidly beating heart.

"She deserves a lot more than that, but I'm thankful that she has you," Maria says as she continues to wrap the food laid out on the counter. You pull your hands out of the soapy water and dry them on the kitchen towel as you watch the water drain out of the sink. Resting your hands on the edge of the stainless steel sink you keep your eyes facing downward, watching contently as the suds from the bubble crest the drain, each popping in their own time until there's nothing but a small pool of suds.

"I will be here for as long as Luke and Lex will let me," you tell her as you turn to face her. "I love your granddaughter, and I'm pretty sure I'm falling in love with your son."

"I know," she says, nodding at you with a knowing smile before walking out of the kitchen.

* * *

"Lex was so happy today," you say as you open up a beer and pass it to him as you take your seat next to him on the couch, draping your legs over his lap. You've spent the better part of the day barefoot as you ran around the party, helping Luke play host. He takes a sip of his beer before carefully setting the bottle on the end table and glancing towards the hallway and his daughter's closed bedroom door. Luke reaches out to wrap his arms around your waist, dragging you closer to him as he runs his hands up your thighs to grip the curve of your bare backside. He lets out a groan as he leans over you on the couch, covering your body with his and presses a series of kisses to the exposed top of your breasts. "Luke we can't do this here," you whisper to him, desire pooling between your legs as his hands continue their assault on your body. His hand softly trails down the middle of your breasts, curving over the soft plane of your stomach and settles between your legs, rubbing slow circles on your clit, causing you to shake under him. You press your hand into your mouth, stifling a moan in fear that you will wake Lex.

"You're right," he mutters, moving to replace his hand with his mouth when you both hear a door open down the hall causing you both to curse as you quickly right yourselves on the couch. His arm curls around your shoulder to pull you into him as you pull your dress down your legs. Lex walks into the living room, rubbing at her eyes with a trembling lower lip and you reach out to her, helping her to settle on the couch between the both of you.

"She didn't show up today either," she whispers as she curls herself into her father's side. You watch as he deflates, his eyes looking down at the top of her head with a sad sigh. You look between the two of them before pulling the blanket from the back of the couch and tossing it over her shaking form. Glancing up at Luke you hook your thumb over your shoulder, he nods at you and you lean down to give Lex a kiss on her forehead letting your fingers rub over the back of her head for a moment. Trying to convey to her with the motion that you will be there for her, should she ever want you to be.

"Don't go," she says as her tiny hand shoots out to grasp onto your fingers when you stand. You lock eyes with Luke again as you sink back onto the couch, opening your arms to the small girl who switches from her father to you. Luke watches the both of you as you close your arms around her, rubbing her back as she emits soft cries into the fabric of your dress. "Why doesn't she want me?" she asks, her small face turning up to look at you. You give her a sad smile, running your fingers through her hair before bringing your right thumb up to brush away a tear, you tilt her face upwards and lock your eyes with hers.

"I'm sure she wants you in her own way, Lex," you say keeping her face turned towards yours. "Some parents make mistakes, but you are always wanted. Your father wants you. Your Abuela wants you. I want you. We all love you," You tell her as you look at Luke, locking eyes with him as he runs his fingers through his hair before trailing them down his face while letting out a loud sigh. Eventually, her soft cries die down and are replaced with a deep breathing. It's a long while before Luke moves to bring her back to her bedroom, but you find that you don't mind as you clutch the slumbering child in your arms, assuring her that you are there in the only way that you possibly can.

"She promised to come back, didn't she?" you ask him when he reenters the living room. You're staring out at the dark sky taking in the many stars that can be seen in the night on the outskirts of town. He walks back over to the couch, sitting with his head in his hands and nods. You can see the defeated look in his posture through the glass of the window, the light from the living room a sharp contrast to the dark of the night stretched out before the both of you.

"In the note," he says, leaning back into the cushions and folding his hands behind his head. "She told her that she would come back for her birthdays, but she's missed every single one." You walk over and sit in front of him on the coffee table, reaching out to place palms flat on his thighs. "I can't believe she still continues to fuck everything up." You look over at the hallway, making sure that Lex's bedroom door is closed before you climb onto his lap and press your lips to his in distraction. His hands slide under your dress with a groan, his right forearm aligning with your spine as his left arm curls around your bare waist. He kisses you deeply for a while before he pulls back from you, pressing his face into the crook of your neck. "Stay the night?" he asks, his lips pressed against yours and you nod before you can talk yourself out of the decision.

"I expect breakfast," you say as he securely wraps your legs around his waist before he stands. He carries you down the hall, his lips never leaving your skin, goosebumps erupting with each press of his mouth. "I'm serious, Mr. Alvez, even if it is cake." He nods, pushing his bedroom door open and laying you down on the bed before walking over to secure the lock. Turning back to you he lifts his shirt over his head, his muscles rippling in the dim lighting being cast from the bedside lamps. You push yourself up to the top of the bed, watching his movements as he approaches you. His coffee-colored hands reach out to grip your ankles, tugging gently to pull you flat against his bed. Luke covers your body with his as he hikes your dress up around your waist, dragging the soft material against your skin and over your head, taking extra time to let the fabric glide across your nipples. His lips hover over yours for a moment as he looks into your eyes, seemingly searching for the answer to an unknown question. Neither of you blinks for a long while, both breathing in tandem with the other as you reach up to run your fingers softly through his thick hair.

"I love you," he whispers before he presses his lips to yours. Your reply lost in a moan as he spreads your legs and enters you, but you know, and have known for a while that you love him too.


	9. Chapter 9

You realize that you're kneeling on a piece of rock the second your knee hits the pavement, but the pain radiating through your leg is nothing compared to the pain you're feeling in your heart as you look at Lex crying in front of you. Her face is red and screwed up as she tries to not let the tears fall down her face. She reaches up to wipe at her nose with the sleeve of her cardigan and stomps her right foot before turning to look at Luke.

"I don't want to go," she says as she begins to peel the yellow backpack off of her shoulders making sure to drop it on the ground by her feet.

"Here," you say as you reach into your hair to pull out the purple flower you had pinned there this morning as you raced to get ready, butterflies fluttering around your stomach. You reach out to position the flower at the base of her ponytail. When you had shown up at their house this morning Lex was still in her pajamas and screaming at your boyfriend that she wasn't going to school. Luke, with the patience he had exhibited over the past year, looked ready to scream back at her until you intervened. "This flower is special to me." She reaches up to touch the petals, running her fingers along the center stone and smiling at you.

"Why?" Lex questions while reaching up to rub her closed fist into her eyes. You smile and pull a napkin from your purse and begin dabbing at the skin under her eyes, telling her while you do that rubbing will cause bruising. She smiles and nods.

"This flower is magical," you whisper to her as you straighten her cardigan before moving on to pull up her knee socks. "Whenever I need a little extra courage I wear this flower and it helps me do hard things."

"Like first days of school?" she whispers back with wide eyes. You nod your head and tap your fingertips to your chin in mock deliberation.

"Exactly like first days of school!" You should have braced yourself better, you think, as you tumble backward against Luke's legs when she rushes forward to wrap her arms around your neck in a hug. You're thankful for his steady hands on your shoulders as you give Lex a gentle squeeze.

"I love you, Penny," she whispers into your hair and you let out a small gasp, gripping her tighter and giving her a slight rock.

"I love you too, Lex," you whisper back to her before you peel away from her and stand. Reaching down you grip her backpack and hand it to her. She smiles up at you, a new missing tooth shining prominently in the grin as she settles the straps back onto her shoulders. You chuckle at the sight of the bottom of it reaching the middle of her thighs. Luke wraps his arms around your waist before he reaches out to grip your chin and bring his lips to yours, placing a gentle kiss onto your mouth.

"Ew, Daddy, not at my school!" Lex whines as she covers her eyes to shield herself from the pair of you. You chuckle and reach your hand out to grasp her left as Luke takes her right and together you walk through the red doors to find her classroom. Her eyes are wide as she takes in the brightly decorated halls of the new private school she had been enrolled into.

"What's the number again?" Luke asks you.

"107," you answer from memory, "Teacher is Mrs. Adams, married for two years, no children. Got her degree from Kean University in New Jersey. She didn't test well, but who does. Moved to the area over five years ago and has been teaching here ever since. No disciplinary actions and from the PTA meeting minutes she is well liked by the children." You realize that the three of you have stopped walking and when you look over at Luke he is staring at you with a wide grin on his face. "I may have done a thing..." you continue, "there may be a file."

"You must be Lexington's parents," when you turn you're staring at a woman of average height with shining blue eyes and brown hair. She is smiling at you both warmly and extending her hand out to you. Reaching out you grasp her hand before she moves onto Luke. "I'm Mrs. Adams."

"Lex," you correct, "She doesn't go by Lexington."

"My mistake, Lex then, it's very nice to meet you..." she trails off and you realize that she doesn't know your name.

"Penelope and I'm..." you look over at Luke awkwardly as your cheeks grow red.

"Penny is Daddy's girlfriend, they kissed outside. It was gross." Lex says as she peers into the classroom. "Which desk is mine?" She pulls her hand from yours and takes off into the classroom barely turning to look at either you or Luke. He's reached out to clasp your empty hand and you look over at him with a smile as tears gather in your eyes.

"She'll be fine," Mrs. Adams assures you both as she pats you on your arm. Nodding you realize that your lip is trembling much like hers did minutes ago and you find yourself wishing you had your magical flower. Luke nods as he looks into the room in order to check on Lex before he turns back to you and reaches up to wipe a tear off of your cheek.

"Let's get you to work before Morgan sends out a SWAT team looking for his _Baby Girl,"_ he says, leading you away from the door as you nod and crane your neck to look at the girl who was happily gabbing with a little boy near the coat hooks, her yellow backpack the brightest of the bunch. He drives you both to Quantico in silence as you take a few moments to gather your thoughts and sort through your work e-mails, trying to get a head start on your day but failing miserably as you find yourself staring at a picture of Lex that was taken this morning. You don't realize that the truck has stopped moving until you feel his fingers on your chin pulling your face away from your phone towards him. He reaches out to grip your face between both of his hands and takes a second to look at you before he crushes his lips to yours, silencing the sentence that was on the tip of your tongue.

"Have I told you I love you lately?" He asks when he pulls back and leans his forehead against yours while rubbing his thumbs over your cheeks. You shake your head, smiling and looking up into his eyes as you reach up to curl your fingers over the back of his neck.

"I love you too, Luke," you whisper as your eyelids fall closed and he brings his mouth back to yours to the sound of your phone going off. You groan because you know that noise. "I have a case."

* * *

I literally sit down the hall, Boy Wonder, how do you _always_ let your computer get this bad?" You ask as you sit in his chair staring at his computer screen in amazement. You glare at him out of the corner of your eye and are glad when he has the sense to look ashamed at his actions, but then again you've gone through this several times a year for the better half of a decade.

"You know I hate technology, Garcia." He explains as he waves a book in your face and you smile as you swat the tome out of your vision. You reach out to pick up the mug of tea that Derek slid across the tabletop to you, blowing at the steam when you hear a little voice calling your name. Turning in the chair you take in the sight of Lex running towards you from the glass doors. Her backpack flopping behind her as she's waving a piece of paper through the air while taking steps that are far too big for her stride. The flower is flopping around the top of her head and you notice throughout the day her ponytail had become lopsided and one of her knee socks had slid down around her ankle. She collides with your legs, letting out a loud oomph as she stumbles backward before you can reach out to catch her. You let out a chuckle as she looks up at you from the floor, pushing her bangs out of her face with her left hand and tossing the paper at you.

"I got a gold star!" She exclaims in an excited shout and you reach out to pull her to her feet before glancing out for her father who was walking through the glass door. "I took the stairs here without him," she says hooking her thumb over her shoulder, "he said that you were working and we shouldn't disturb you until later." You let out a loud laugh as she rolls her eyes and turns to Spencer who is staring at the pair of you in confusion.

"I'm Lex," she exclaims sticking her hand out to him and tapping her foot as she waits for him to shake her hand. "What's your name?" she continues as she reaches up to tug on his pant leg. You can't stop the laughter from exploding from your lips as Luke approaches you. He places a gentle kiss to your temple before looking at Hotch and waving apologetically. When you open your eyes you notice that you have attracted a crowd of people and so you stand and beckon the rest of the team over to you.

"My Fearless Protectors, I'd like for you to meet Lex and Luke," you say as you point to each of them. Turning you grip Lex's hand in your own as you introduce your team to the other important people in your life. "This is Spencer, Hotch, Rossi, JJ, Kate, and Derek," you tell them, pointing to each member of your team. She smiles up at the team and reaches out to shake their hands with a large smile.

"And how do you know Penny?" JJ asks, crouching down to be eye level with Lex who leans closer to the blonde woman.

"Penny sleeps over sometimes," she says while cupping her hands over her mouth, "because she's Daddy's girlfriend and they are _always_ kissing." Your mouth opens and closes quickly as you look between your boyfriend, Lex, and your thoroughly amused team. Chuckling Luke reaches out to pull the girl back to him as you continue to look around you silently, heat creeping up into your cheeks.

"You're grounded until you're eighteen," Luke whispers to the small child earning him a glare from her. "It's nice to meet all of you but we should probably get going," he continues before turning to you instinctively reaching out to grasp your hand and pulling you in for a kiss.

"See!" Lex exclaims, hands waving wildly around her which earns her laughter from the members of your team. When Luke pulls away from you he is also blushing and reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck.

"Come on, Lex, Pen is working," he tells her while steering her away from you. "I'm sorry for the intrusion." He says over his shoulder. You stand watching them walk away from you, wondering when they had become your entire world when you feel an arm slide around your shoulder.

"I've been replaced," Derek says as he clutches his hands to his heart, "you never told me it was serious."

"Nobody can replace you, Chocolate Thunder," you say as you smile up at him. "But yeah, it's serious."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is being posted for Teyamarra. She did amazing in her competition today!

You hadn't meant to spend the night wrapped in his arms, you surmise when you awake in the early morning. His bare skin sending electric shockwaves through your body as you look up to see his dark eyes staring intently at you. Your squeal is lost in his mouth as he moves you over him, settling you over his hips in one swift motion. You hadn't meant to spend the night wrapped in his arms, naked you might add, but that doesn't mean that you don't appreciate the wake up call you are currently receiving as he grips you to his chest. His hips moving in slow circles as he sits up, his right arm gliding up your bare back to grip your hair and tug your head backward, allowing his lips free reign to the vast expanse of your neck. You hadn't meant to spend the morning matching his pace in his dimly lit bedroom, stealing minutes of solitude before you were to spend the day apple picking, but here you are with incoherent words spilling from your bruised mouth. And when you finally start to fall apart around him, moans coming out in higher octaves as your legs quake around his waist, he chuckles out your name. The sound vibrating through your body as you stare down at him with your right arm wrapped around his broad shoulders and your left hand splayed across his cheek, your breasts heaving and brushing against his chin.

"Good morning, gorgeous," he whispers bringing his mouth to yours and placing a slow kiss to your lips, drinking you in with each stroke of his tongue against yours.

"Good morning, indeed," you reply as you reach behind you to unwrap his arms from around your waist, moving yourself off of his lap and walking towards the bathroom, dragging the sheet to wrap around your body as you go.

* * *

On days like today, when you awake unintentionally in his arms, you're grateful for the small stash of clothes you have in a drawer in his bedroom. Your mind starts to wonder at the simple domesticity of it, the slow introduction of cohabitation staring you in the face as you realize the drawer is packed with some of your favorite wardrobe pieces. You can't remember what your closet looks like, you realize, and you start to feel guilty at the face that Sergio has essentially been alone all week, with either yourself or Luke stopping on your way home from work to feed the cat and spend a few moments with him.

When he exits the shower and reenters the bedroom you don't turn to look at him, knowing that if you do that you will both be distracted enough to spend the rest of the day entangled in the sheets of the now perfectly made bed. You can hear the little footsteps approaching the door to his bedroom as you slide a pair of green panties over your hips, knowing that they were his favorite. This knowledge causing you to blush with the intention of rousing another round from him after Lex drifted off to sleep later this evening.

She knocks before entering as you're pulling a yellow dress over your shoulders and settling it around your legs, and when you look over at her she has managed to get herself dressed this morning, in an outfit that you had picked up for her several weeks ago. Her little legs encased in a pair of purple leggings, an oversized cream sweater hanging from her shoulders, and a pair of brown boots on her feet with the laces untied. She's holding out the purple flower to you and you smile as you grab the brush off of the top of the dresser and walk over to sit behind her on the bed. Your fingers work quickly as you pull her hair into a french braid, securing the end of it with an elastic from your wrist before you clip the flower in front of her right ear.

"It's perfect!" Lex exclaims as she turns around to wrap her arms around you in a hug, smiling at you with a toothy grin before jumping down from the bed and racing out of the room. You find yourself staring off after her as you begin to run the brush through your damp hair, pulling the strands over your left shoulder and plaiting them quickly before you pull a denim jacket over your shoulders and slip your feet into a pair of well worn converses. Glancing back at the man who is staring at you in amazement with a small smile you exit the room as well chasing after the girl in order to give her something to eat for breakfast.

"Penny, I want this one!" She exclaims as she races up the slight hill to point at an apple hanging halfway up the tree. You turn to Luke and walk quickly up the hill in order to lift the small girl, reminding her to twist the apple from the branch instead of yanking, before she races off to dump the fruit into the bag. You watch as she turns back to you in the October afternoon, skipping with a large smile she slips her hand into yours. When you turn back to make sure Luke is following you along the line of trees you notice that he's stopped and is staring at his cell phone.

"How about we take a picture for Daddy?" you tell the small girl, pointing her over to the nearest tree as you pull your phone from your pocket and begin to snap a picture of her. Luke approaches as you're sending the picture off to him. He slides his hand around your waist and places a kiss to your temple.

"Everything alright?" you ask him when he pulls back and he gives you a strained smile and a nod.

"We'll talk later tonight." he tells you before he leans down to press a kiss to your lips before taking off after Lex who was trying to climb up the nearest apple tree in order to reach one. You hear a distant " _Daddy, you're suppose to twist not pull"_ when your phone vibrates in your hand. You open the text from the man who was now twisting the apple from the branch with his daughter situated on his shoulders. A smile breaking out onto your face at the picture of you and Lex from the beginning of the day, she had gripped you around the neck and planted a kiss to your cheek before taking off down the nearest line of apple trees. A simple _I love you_ follows the picture and you find that you're staring at it with a large grin on your face, only looking up when you hear her screech out your name. You can see her waving at you from Luke's shoulders, the man sporting a grin that matches your own as you propel yourself forward.

"Can we get apple cider?" she asks from his shoulders and you look up at her and smile.

"Who goes apple picking and doesn't buy cider?" you ask her as you reach to take the bag of apples from Luke's hand, laughing when he tightens his grip on the handle.

"Dad, he hates cider." She says, patting her hands onto the top of his head. You look over at him and laugh, picking a leaf off of his chest and letting it fall to the ground beside you.

"We will have to forgive him, Lex," you say as you look back up at her, shielding your eyes from the sun. "But that just means that there is more cider for us!"

* * *

The sun was setting later that evening as Luke drove you all back to their house. The silence settled between the pair of you only punctuated by the heavy breathing of the small child in the backseat of the vehicle. You look over at him and smile taking in the sculpted lines of his jaw and remembering the feel on his stubble scraping against the top of your chest.

"What're you thinking about?" He asks, reaching out to bring your hand to his lips as his eyes flicker up to check his mirrors as he continues driving.

"This morning," you reply, keeping your face forward knowing that you're not brave enough to face the smirk that was sure to be gracing his lips.

"That good huh?" He asks while chuckling as he turns onto his street, the headlights from the truck sweeping over the front lawns of his neighbors as they slow down in preparation to pull into the driveway. You turn to him with a red tint to your cheeks and give his shoulder a shove, telling him to shut up. You notice his face contort in confusion quickly as he guides the truck into his parking spot, Esther still parked in front of the house, but the addition of another car is what caused the look on your boyfriend's face. You look away from him in order to step out of the truck before walking to the backseat to unbuckle the sleeping child. "You'll be okay here?" He says and takes off after you nod, you stand and watch him walk over to the dark sedan parked behind your car before turning your attention back to Lex.

"Lex, we're home," you say while jostling the girl awake. She reaches out to wrap her arms around your neck and you let her climb into your arms, pressing a kiss on her forehead as she lays her head on your shoulder and closing her eyes at the contact. When you look back at Luke he's standing near the car with his arms folded over his chest, a darkened look painted over his face. He looks up at you in this moment before holding out his hand to the person in the car and jogging over to unlock the front door for you. He stops you on the doorstep, placing his lips against Lex's head and yours before telling you that he'll be in as soon as he can. You nod, letting your eyes follow him back to the car as he resumes his position. "Let's get you in bed," you announce more for the sake of hearing your voice than anything else.

You enter her room and flick on the lights, noticing that the girl slept like her father did when the harsh light didn't rouse her from slumber. You grip her to your chest with your left hand as your right reaches out to pull her blankets down before you lay her on the mattress. You untie her pink converses placing them with her other shoes in her closet after settling the blankets around her shoulders. Leaning down you place a kiss to her forehead, bidding her good night before walking over to the window in order to close the blinds. Curiosity getting the best of you as you look out the window to see Luke arguing with a tall woman with brown hair that fell in soft curls to the middle of her back. Currently the woman was pointing frantically at the house and stomping her foot while Luke stood with his arms still crossed over his chest, a look of thinly veiled anger splashed across his face. You realize you've never seen that look before and you realize that you never want to see it again. Reaching up you twist the blinds shut before checking on Lex for a final time. You take a deep breath and exit the house, letting Roxy out into the front yard as you prepare to walk over to Luke and the screeching woman. Luke turns to you once you prepare to step off of the curb, his body and face softening as he walks over to help you down.

"She's asleep," you tell him jingling your car keys in your hands and looking between him and the other woman.

"What're you the baby sitter?" She asks, her voice nasally and cutting through you. You connect your eyes with her and notice the beautiful shade of blue that they were and shake your head.

"She's my girlfriend," Luke interjects before you can respond to the woman. "Not that it's any of your business."

"If she's putting my daughter to bed it is my business," the woman says and your head snaps back to her direction, the intense surge of anger coursing through your body causing you to clench your keys in your left hand.

" _My_ daughter," Luke corrects, "You gave up the right to call her that, seven years ago when you left her on my fucking doorstep, Robin." The woman looks between the pair of you with a glare.

"So what, you've got blondie over here playing mommy to my kid?" she asks causing Luke to sigh before turning back to you.

"Stay, please," he asks you and you find yourself nodding your response before turning away from the pair of them to let them continue their conversation.

"Watch out honey, he asked me to stay once too," she yells after you once you stepped back onto the curb. You pause taking a deep breath before turning back to the woman. You realize how short you are in this moment as you walk up to her and you find yourself wishing you had that damn purple flower that Lex was currently attached to.

"Robin is it?" you pause for effect, not expecting her to nod but she does anyway, "You're embarrassing yourself. Luke and I are going inside the house, we're going to lock the door and shut off the front light. You, you are going to get in your car and drive away, and if you want to be an adult about this situation you can call in the morning. Do not show up here, _unannounced,_ again." You finish reaching your hand out behind you to clasp Luke's hand in yours, giving it a gentle tug as you guide him back to the house. Roxy looked up from the bottom step as you both approach, bounding up the steps ahead of you. He opens the door, letting you enter the house first before he locks the deadbolt and turns off the light.

You pause as he stops by Lex's room watching as he scoops the girl into his arms and carries her down the hall to his bedroom, settling her in the middle of the mattress. Silently you both get ready for bed before sliding under the covers. He reaches over to curl his fingers into your hip, drawing both you and Lex closer into him as he stares down at the top of his daughter's head.

"I wasn't prepared for this," he whispers as the sun continues setting and you nod, reaching out to run your left hand over his face. His eyes remain trained on Lex as he lets out a ragged breath and you can feel his fingers dig deeper into your side. Sliding your hand down his arm you lace his fingers between yours and give his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm here," you tell him as you close your eyes when the sound of his soft sobs reach your ears. "I'm not going anywhere."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a filler chapter.

****

When you slip back into consciousness the next day you can feel fingers curling around the end of your braid and a small hand patting a repetitive line down your face. Blinking away the sleep, you open your eyes and look up into Lex's face with a sleepy yawn. Her hand falls away from your face as you sit up on the bed and stretch your arms above your head.

"Where's your dad?" you question the small girl as you swing your legs over and place your feet on the floor.

"He got a phone call and told me to stay here with you," she answers as you walk into the bathroom, you let out a chuckle as she follows you and stands outside of the bathroom door.

"Penny, I gots a question..." she says as you let out a hum to let her know that you were, in fact, listening. "Who was that woman last night?" You freeze with your hands under the water, your eyes snapping up to connect with your reflection in the mirror as your blood runs cold.

"What woman?" you ask her after a few moments, deciding that playing stupid was the easiest way out of this conversation.

"The one you and Daddy were talking to outside last night," she says as you walk back into the bedroom while pulling your hair into a messy knot on the top of your head. "I looked out the window after you left because I heard Daddy yelling."

"Have you had breakfast?" You look down at her and curse silently when she nods. "How about we find you something to wear for today?" You ask, changing tactics as you reach out to take her hand and let her lead you to her bedroom. You walk over to her window in order to open the blinds and your eyes land on Luke who is sitting on the stone step of the front porch with his head in his left hand. Turning back to Lex and her closet you help her choose an outfit for the day before setting up a bath for her. You settle yourself outside of the door in case she needed help and you call out to her every so often to make sure that she was alright.

When she emerges from the bathroom fully clothed you chuckle at the sight of her hair as you pull out your blowdryer – _when did that get here? -_ to gently dry and curl her hair around her shoulders. Guiding her to the living room you settler her in front of the television as you quickly slide into the shower and get dressed, leaving your hair in the mess that's located at the top of your head. When you enter the living room again Luke is sitting on the couch with his arms around Lex. You rub your fingers through his hair and lean down to press a kiss on the top of his head, feeling as he relaxes under your touch.

"Can we talk?" He asks as he looks up at you. Nodding you watch as he gets off of the couch and you let him lead you into the backyard and you both make sure that the door slides closed behind you.

"I've been on the phone with Robin for over an hour," he starts letting his hand slide down his face with a loud sigh. "She wants to meet Lex, today." You remain silent as you walk over and lean against the railing tugging on your shirt sleeves. "What do we do?"

You reach out to run your fingers down his arm, the contact letting him know that you're here and you smile softly at him. "I'll support you no matter what you choose, but I do suggest that you talk to Lex about it." He looks back at Lex, the small girl was currently leaning back against the couch and laughing at whatever program was playing through the set.

"You'll stay with me, right?" He looks back at you, his eyes sad but hopeful for your support. You nod your head as you lace your fingers in his and give his hand a gentle squeeze. You assure him that you're not going anywhere as you both walk back into the house. You watch as Luke turns off the television as you take a seat before Lex on the coffee table, waiting for Luke to settle himself beside you on the sturdy wood. He takes a deep breath and grips your hand in his before turning back to his daughter.

"Lex, we need to talk to you about something..." he begins, letting his words trail off when she jumps off of the couch and claps excitedly.

"You're getting married!" she shouts looking between the pair of you while you let out a laugh as you feel a heated blush creep up your cheeks. "Abuela owes me more money." You turn to Luke who you find is looking at you with a sheepish smile before you both turn back to the girl.

"No, sweetie, maybe one day, but, uh..." he says, pulling his hand from yours to begin scratching at the back of his neck and you look at him with a small nod, urging him forward. "We wanted to talk to you about your mother."

"What about her?" she asks as she looks between the both of you, settling herself back onto the couch with a sad look laced throughout her features.

"Well," he clears his throat and turns back to you with an agonizing look in his eyes. "She wants to meet you." You reach out to grasp his hand in yours trying to steady the trembling. Lex's eyes land on yours and you try so hard not to recognize the hurt in her eyes, but you do.

"But, I thought..." you watch as her face scrunches in frustration as she continues to look at you. Her face turning red with each moment she tries to hold in the tears. You release Luke's hand to reach out for her and she backs away from you, causing you to quickly pull your hands back as you look down in confusion. Trying to ignore the pain that radiated through you at her movements.

"You thought what, Lex?" you ask her softly as you watch her fold her arms over her stomach, sucking on her bottom lip to control her crying.

"Nothing, it's dumb." She whispers as she turns her head to look at Roxy. You stand up from the coffee table and settle yourself onto the couch near her. Reaching out you unfold her arms and clasp both of her hands between yours, trying again to provide comfort to the small child with little movements.

"Nothing you think is dumb, Lex, don't you ever forget that." Again, you try not to feel hurt when she pulls her hands from you and turns to look at Luke. She takes a deep breath and fixes her father with a glare you've never seen before.

"I thought Penny was going to be my mother," she whispers and you find that you can't stop the tears that form in your eyes at her statement. You let a sob escape from your lips as she turns back to you on the couch and wraps her arms around your neck, finally letting her tears fall as well. You don't say anything to the small child as she tells you over and over that she wants you to be her mother, instead, you rub soothing circles on her back while looking over her head at Luke.

When you compose yourself enough to speak you lift the child off of your chest and grasp her face between your hands, letting your thumbs brush the trail of tears from her cheeks with a wavering smile. You lean towards her and press your lips to her forehead with a slight tremble, pulling back you grip her chin in your fingers and hold her gaze. "I love you, Lexington Rose, and I will always be here for you." You tell the small child with a grin.

"Do you promise?" she asks, her voice smaller than you have ever heard it in the past two years.

"I pinky promise, Lex" you respond holding out your smallest finger to the child. "And let me tell you a secret, nothing is more sacred than a pinky promise."

* * *


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter is dedicated to TheNibblets, who has talked me into and out of so much this past week. Who has been a confidant, a friend, and an inspiration. Keep fighting the battle love, and I'll be with you from the next state over!

The beating of your heart against your ribcage is too loud. The sound of the wheels rolling against the asphalt is too loud. The sound of your breathing is too loud, everything is too loud when you're surrounded by silence. You chose to sit in the backseat with Lex for the short ride to the nearest ice cream parlor, offering her silent support as you clutch her tiny hand. She didn't say anything for the ride, didn't ask for music to be turned on like she normally does, didn't complain when Luke drove too fast past her favorite mural. Lex was silent.

Pulling up in front of the brick building causes your heart to race faster than it ever has before as Lex stills in her booster seat, her eyes cast downward and you realize that you're hurting for her. There is a clenching in your chest as if a vice was closing around your heart in this moment, but you realize that you're the outside party here. You're the adult.

"You'll stay the whole time?" Lex asks, looking out the window towards the building. You can see Robin's dark car parked directly in front of the door, her face turning to look at the blue truck as it rolled to a stop on the opposite side of the street.

"I will be by your side the entire time, Lex," you whisper to the girl while giving her hand a gentle squeeze, and unbuckling her once the vehicle comes to a complete stop. Luke pulls her from the car, and for that, you're grateful as you're not sure your arms could carry her in this moment, and you walk around the truck in order to clutch his hand.

"Are we doing the right thing?" he asks, turning to you as you shrug because this is dangerous and uncharted territory for the both of you. Realizing in this moment that you're not sure of anything anymore, besides your job and them. He pulls the door open for you, letting you walk in and placing his daughter on the checkered linoleum. His hands are holding her firmly, afraid that if he lets her go she will disappear as he walks her closer to the booth that Robin had situated herself in. Hanging back you watch as he reaches up to scratch at the back of his neck before smoothing his hand over the dutch braid you had plaited into Lex's long hair.

"Lex, this is Robin...your uh, mother," you hear him tell the girl as he looks back at you, begging you with his eyes to join the awkward introductions. As you approach he slides himself into the booth, reaching out for Lex who you help climb up before sliding into the seat yourself.

"Did you have to bring your girlfriend?" The woman asks, an edge to her voice cutting through you, and you find yourself wondering if this is what you were all here for? Was she just going to lash out at you because you were there? Opening your mouth in order to respond to the woman, you pause in shock and look down at Lex as she speaks.

"I want Penny here," she says, looking into the blue eyes of her mother with a challenging look, a flash of pride dashing across your face at her words. You remain silent as Luke hands Lex a menu and the small child begins to look over the pictures. It always amazed you that she would continue to look for something new to order, but you already knew what she would be getting.

"My name is Josh, I'll be serving you all today, do we know what we want?" The waiter asks pulling a pad of paper from the apron tied around his waist. You rattle off drink choices for both you and Luke before turning to Lex.

"Strawberry ice cream in a cup with rainbow sprinkles, please," she says, grinning at Josh with a wide smile. The teenager nods his head and begins to walk away. "Oh! The sprinkles on the side!" she calls out after him, laughing when the young man turns around and flourishes his arms.

"As you wish, my lady." You take this time to look at Robin, truly taking in her features as she stares openly at Lex across the table. The silence surrounding the four of you is tense as Lex leans over and asks to play a game on your cell phone, and you're too happy for the distraction of rustling through your purse to deny her. By the time you find your phone at the bottom of the bag her ice cream has arrived, Josh sliding a bowl of rainbow sprinkles across the table to the child with a wink.

"Penny, can you put my sprinkles on for me?" She asks and you nod, reaching out for the bowl. Before you can clasp your fingers around the metal rim, Robin has dumped the contents onto the scoop of strawberry ice cream. Lex turns to her father with her mouth open, before turning back to you. "She did it wrong!" The child exclaims, folding her arms over her chest with a pout. You reach out for her spoon, moving some of the excess sprinkles to cover the ice cream.

"She didn't know, Lex," you tell her with a soft smile before turning to Robin. "She likes the sprinkles to cover the entire ice cream, not just the top." The woman nods her head and reached out to take a sip of her ice water.

"Lexington," she begins causing Luke to snorts out a bewildered chuckle, clutching his glass of soda in his left hand while his right wraps protectively around his daughter. Reaching up you let your fingers graze over the top of his hand. "I can't believe how big you are! And look at you, you're beautiful! What do you like, what's your favorite color? Are you in school?"

"Lex," the small girl says before anybody could correct the other woman, ignoring the rest of her questions. "My name is Lex." You smile softly as you look down at the girl situated between you and Luke in the booth. She had discarded her spoon as she looked up from her ice cream. "But you wouldn't know that, can we go home Daddy?" she asks looking at Luke who nods. You take this as your cue to slide out of the booth and extend your hand out to the girl as Luke tossed money on the table. You have made it a few steps away before you turn back for your boyfriend, who you find standing at the edge of the table.

"Why now, Robin, why after seven fucking years," he asks, staring down at the woman. You call out to him and he turns back with an apology on the tip of his tongue. He walks over to his daughter, placing his hands on her shoulders and guiding her towards the door.

"I don't know," Robin says causing you to turn around and look at the woman still sitting at the table, her eyes staring at the ice cream she unknowingly ruined. You walk back over to the table and slide into the seat holding your hand up to Luke and Lex who have paused by the door.

"You can't come crawling into her life with ' _I don't know_ ' because that's not good enough Robin, not for Lex. You are either all in or all out, so take some time to choose, because I won't let you hurt her any more than you already have with your half-assed apologies, and your half-assed attempts to get to know her. Get it together." you say before standing up.

"You can't keep me from my daughter," she says, her eyes hardening as she looks at you.

"No, but I can keep you from _my_ daughter," you respond to the woman as you walk back over to Luke, relaxing as he wraps his arm around your waist and opens the door. With a look back at the woman, you follow Lex out the door and into the fading daylight.

* * *

"What else do you think she has put money on?" you ask as you and Luke lie in bed later that night. His eyes are trained on the television with his fingers running softly through your hair.

"Knowing my daughter, a lot," he says chuckling as he continues to flick through the channels. "Do you ever think about it?"

"About what?" You ask him as you reach out to run your fingers across his stomach, causing him to shudder under your touch.

"Marriage," he responds while looking down at you. "When we first met you had turned down a proposal."

"Sometimes," you whisper as you let your eyes flicker back to the television, hoping that anything would turn his attention away from this subject.

"Just sometimes?" he asks quietly, reaching out to turn the volume down on the television. You sigh clutching your arms tighter around him

"More so recently," you admit as you draw in a breath and sit up on the bed. "But you have to know that commitment scares me, and marriage isn't always a source of happiness in my line of work. I'm bubbly but I'm jaded." Reaching out for his hand you lace your fingers together and look him in the eye. "When Kevin asked we had been dating for a few years, but we hadn't been in a relationship, you know like we didn't argue over bills, or who took out the garbage that morning." Luke nods his head giving your fingers a gentle squeeze, but remaining silent. "Our relationship was real, I can't deny that, but it wasn't real. Marrying him would have been logical, but love isn't supposed to be logical is it?"

"I don't think so, but I'm not an expert," he replies, pulling you back to his chest. "Did you mean it?" You hum in reply, asking him what he meant as he inhales deeply. "Considering Lex your daughter, I mean?"

"Every word," you reply, pressing your lips to his chest. "I'd give my life to protect her."

"Move in with me...with us, I mean?" he asks and you still against his chest. "I have to walk Roxy but take some time to think about it, okay?" He says as he gets off the bed. You find yourself nodding at him with your mouth hanging open. Watching him walk away, you wait for the door to shut behind him before springing off of the bed and tossing on the nearest pair of shoes you could find. Clutching your purse in your left hand and your keys in your right you pace the living room as you wait for him to return, your heart beating a continuous beat against your rib cage again, what are you thinking? When he returns, he takes one look at you and his face falls when he sees your shoes on and your keys clutched in your hands. Silently you move to his side and press a kiss to his cheek, letting your hand press over his heart, and with a whispered I'm sorry you walk out of the house. You take comfort in the fact that he didn't lock the door behind you, or shut off the light as you race to your car.

When you return you find him in the living room holding a beer and watching television with Roxy curled up in his lap.

"Okay," you say as you lean down to place Sergio on the floor, the cat walking over to the nearest chair and rubbing himself against the surface. Luke looks up at you in shock before placing his beer on the coffee table and crossing the room to take you into his arms. He doesn't give you the chance to say anything else as he covers your mouth with his and presses you into the wall.

"Okay," he whispers, as you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him into another kiss.


	13. Chapter 13

"That's the last of it," Luke announces as he closes the door behind the pair of you with a wide smile. You watch as he places the box in the middle of the room with a wide smile, turning back to you and looking extremely proud of himself. "For such a little apartment, you had a lot of stuff."

"I like this," you tell the man with a dramatic sigh as you peel off your sweatshirt and tighten your ponytail. "I don't know where any of this is going to go."

"About that," Luke says, gripping your hands in his and guiding you past the kitchen and into the dining room. It wasn't often that you made your way to this part of the house, never needing to venture here. He opens the door and ushers you into a small room painted in a bright pink with yellow horizontal lines.

"What is this?" You ask, walking down the two steps and further into the room with a wide smile.

"This is...well Lex's idea honestly," the man admits as he reaches up to scratch at the back of his head. "She always loved going to your apartment and thought it would be cool to kind of recreate it here. So we picked out the paint and cleared it out while you were at work last week." He finishes reaching down to scoop Sergio into his arms with a smile, scratching the cat under the chin.

"You didn't have to do this..." you trail off, letting your eyes take in the full sight of the background from the bay window.

"I know you don't really like change, and you've been in your place for almost a decade, it's going to be an adjustment but when you need a break from the monotony of the rest of the house you can come here." He says, coming up behind you to wrap you in his arms, sans Sergio. "And that doesn't mean that you can't change the rest of the house, I think we need a lot of color around here." He whispers into your ear, pressing a kiss to your neck.

"I can keep my couch?" you ask him, turning your head to look at the side of his face with a wide smile.

"Yes, but the bed has to go," Luke replies with a serious look on his face. "Trust me, my back was killing me for a week after sleeping on it."

"I don't know, I think it's pretty comfortable," you reply as he scoffs, turning in his arms and snaking your arms around his neck. "Care to demonstrate a comparison for me before Lex and your mother show up?" He nods vigorously, using his hands on your hips to gently guide you up the steps and back to the other side of the house, and before you know it he has you pressed up against his door.

"I love you," he whispers.

* * *

You decide that there's nothing worse than being mid-coitus, completely enraptured by the feeling of his body against yours when you're unceremoniously disrupted. The loud bang of the front door being thrown open and the echoes of her little voice yelling out for the both of you. The situation would be entirely hilarious except for the simple fact that neither of you wanted to be caught. Jumping from the bed an apology spills from your mouth as you race to the bathroom door, snapping it shut behind you.

"Penelope, damn it, we'll be right there Lex!" You find that you can't stop the laughter that bubbles up in your throat, leaning your head against the back of the door. "You can come out and get dressed now." When you eventually pull the door open, you've securely wrapped yourself in a spare sheet. He's sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling socks onto his feet.

"It's like getting caught by your mother," you whisper, letting the sheet pool around your feet as you bend down for your clothing.

"My mother _is_ here," Luke whispers back with a groan, his face displaying agony at the fact that his mother had walked in on him. Another bubble of laughter bursts from your throat and you pause in the middle of getting dressed. "I'm going to need you to put clothes on," the man says, as he stands and turns away from you.

"Oh, right," you mutter, reaching out for the pair of leggings he had previously ripped off of your body and the t-shirt he had been wearing. "You're going out there first."

"After you locked yourself in the bathroom? You can face her first." The man says as he turns to look at you, softening when he sees you in his clothing.

"She's seven, what're you so afraid of?" You ask him with a smirk as you walk over to him, placing a kiss on his bare arm. You take a few moments to let your hands trail over the dips in his stomach, tracing his muscles while he looks down at you through abnormally thick eyelashes.

"Questions," he answers, turning you around and pushing you out the door, snapping it closed behind you. "She's going to have questions," he tells you through the door while you roll your eyes, making your way down the hall and into the living room.

"Penny!" Lex exclaims as you enter the living room, you wave to Maria who is looking at you with a knowing smile. "Why are you wearing Daddy's shirt?" she asks, pulling on the hem.

"I uh, mine got dirty during the move," you tell the girl.

"Abuela took me to play mini-golf, and then we ate tacos from a _truck_ , and then we went to the store, and then it was time to come home but you and Dad were in the bedroom. Abuela told me to not go back there, but I had to know if you liked the colors of the room?" Lex asks, climbing up onto the couch and curling herself into your side.

"I love it, Lex, it was very thoughtful of you." The small girl looks up at you with a smile as you feel Luke's head dip down past your face to press a kiss to her forehead. He stops to press a kiss to your cheek before walking over to his mother, who begins whispering to him in Spanish.

"They're talking about me," the small girl says with a sad look on her face. "I told Abuela about...about that, my mo...can I call her Robin?" you nod your head at the child with a soft smile. "and I think she's upset with Daddy."

"Do you want to help me with something Lex?" Standing you hold your hand out to her and grab the smallest box off of the pile in the middle of the room. Laughing you realize that you recognize this mountain from two years ago. You lead her back into the bedroom, giving Maria and Luke the privacy they needed. "When I first learned to write my mother gave me a notebook," you tell the child as you settle yourself onto the floor near your side of the bed. "And she told me to write down everything and anything I wanted." Reaching into the box you pull out a tattered spiral notebook and hand it to the girl, pulling a new notebook out from the box as well.

"What did you write about?" Lex asks you with wide eyes.

"Well at first, I wrote about anything that came to mind, but around the time I was fourteen I started to detail my days." You explain as you pull out the other journals, piling them onto the shelf on your side of the bed.

"Why?" You turn back to Lex while holding your current journal in your hand.

"I don't ever want there to be anything left unsaid, between me and you, or me and your dad. So I write it all down." You hand Lex a pen and the new notebook with a smile. "I write things down in case I forget, or in case I need to look it up later, but you can write for whatever reason you want to."

"Can we start now?" Lex asks as she uncaps the pen and lays on her stomach on the floor. You nod at the child, looking up to see Luke and Maria standing in the doorway as you settle yourself onto the floor beside her, pulling your journal and pen to you.

"Of course we can," you tell her as you begin writing.

_My boyfriend is afraid of his daughter which is hilarious all things considered._

* * *

**_A/N:_ Thank you all for your patience as you waited for me to update! It's appreciated. I skipped over the hard stuff in order to get this to you.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience as I took my time updating. I skipped over the hard stuff that was blocking me. You are all appreciated.


	14. Chapter 14

“Tangled!” Lex shouts, running into the living room holding the DVD above her head with both hands. Her smile is wide on her face with her hair flailing behind her. You find that you’re worried she may trip over the several boxes that are piled around the house, but she carefully sidesteps them as she slides to her knees in front of the television. Luke chuckles as he gets up to prepare popcorn for the three of you to share while sitting through yet another Disney movie. Following your boyfriend into the kitchen you hop onto the counter, swinging your legs as you watch him moving fluidly around the kitchen. He checks over his shoulder while the bag is in the microwave, making sure that Lex is occupied before spreading your legs and settling himself between them, and capturing your lips with his.

“Mom thinks I should get a lawyer,” he tells you when he pulls back, his lips trailing down your jaw and suckling at the skin on the left side of your neck. A shiver slides down your spine, causing you to giggle and press yourself closer to him.

“What do you think?” You reach up to run your fingers through his hair as he places kisses along your collarbone, a moan slipping from between your lips causing his hand to come up and cover your mouth. Biting at your lip in order to control the volume of the moan, wanting to continue your make out session, you let out a groan when the microwave beeps, alerting the both of you that you are out of time.

“I think that I want to tell Lex it’s past her bedtime so that I can get you alone,” Luke mutters darkly as he leans his forehead against yours, his eyes sliding closed as the microwave beeps again, an annoying reminder that you had to be parents first, and lovers later.

“Penny, are you coming?” Lex shouts from the living room and peeking around the corner you can see her settled on the middle cushion of the couch, leaving enough space for both you and Luke on either side of her. Shouting back that you are on your way. Laughing at Luke’s expression as you slide off of the counter, stumbling a bit as your legs are still weak from the kisses he had peppered your body with. Rushing into the living room you slide onto the left side of Lex, letting the child curl into your side as she places her feet in Luke’s lap. You watch her as she is enthralled by the movie, one that she has seen at least one hundred times in the short month that she had owned it. Luke’s hand slides around your shoulders, letting his fingers trail across the left side of your neck, tracing the same pattern he kissed just a few minutes earlier. You’re hyper focused on the movie, watching it intently until the credits roll, your body standing on alert from the motion of Luke’s hand teasing you for over an hour.

“Alright kid, one bedtime story and then it’s lights out,” Luke tells her, pushing her off the couch as you collect the cups and the empty bowl of popcorn, and proceed to wash the left over dishes from dinner. Smiling as you listen to the laughter filtering out of Lex’s bedroom, Luke’s deep voice taking on different personas as he regales his daughter with a story. By the time you’re done with the dishes, he’s walking out of her bedroom and closing the door behind him.

“She asleep?” He nods, watching you walk over and double check the lock on the front and back doors as he checks the windows. “I think hiring a lawyer is a good idea, we still have no idea what Robin wants, and I refuse to be blindsided. It’s better to be prepared.” Sighing heavily he walks up behind you, his hands sliding around your waist and his lips connecting with the left side of your neck with a hungry growl. You let your hands travel up to slide through his hair, pulling his face closer to your neck with a drawn out moan. He walks you forward, pressing your breasts to the wall outside of the bedroom, his hand sliding down your yoga pants.

“I need you,” he whispers into your neck, his teeth biting at your skin, as you push yourself back against him.

“I can see that,” you tease the man, sliding out of his grasp and walking to the bedroom, curling your finger repeatedly before you slide your t-shirt over your shoulders and disappear behind the door.

* * *

He’s wrapped his arms around you, pulling you closer to him under the cool sheets, and pressing a kiss to your forehead. His fingers are trailing up and down your left arm, eventually he laces his fingers through yours, his palm resting on the back of your hand and places a kiss to the back of your next.

“You’re her mother,” Luke whispers into your ear. “I don’t care what Robin has to say about it, you’ve been here the past two years when she walked out. In my eyes, you are Lex’s mother.” Silently you let a tear roll down your cheek, wondering when your life had taken this turn, but knowing in your heart that the little girl sleeping down the hall was in fact your child, knowing that you would do everything and anything to protect her from the terrible things in the world. You wait, listening for his soft snores before you slip out of bed, sliding his discarded shirt over your shoulders and your pants onto your bottom half, you walk back out into the kitchen. You prepare yourself a cup of hot chocolate before settling yourself into the cushions of the couch, pulling the throw blanket over your bottom half with a soft smile. Clutching the mug between both hands you look around the room, taking in your decorations that have since mixed with Luke and Lex’s, creating an eclectic yet blended aesthetic. So lost in your thoughts, you jump when you hear a small voice next to you.

“Penny, can I sit with you?” Lex says, climbing up onto the couch and cuddling under the blanket into your side. “I had a bad dream.”

“Want to talk about it?” You ask her, reaching up to brush her bangs off of her face and pressing your lips to the top of her head with a content sigh. She shakes her head, yawning and blinking up at you.

“No, it’s not important,” Lex responds wrapping her arms around your waist with a soft sigh. “I love you, Penny, and I’m so glad that you’re here.”

“I love you too, Lex,” you tell the small child, watching as her eyes close softly. You bring the mug of hot chocolate to your lips and take a sip, smiling down at her head before looking out of the living room window, thanking whoever was listening for the small miracle that had fallen asleep in your arms. A soft paw taps at your leg and you lean down to scoop the small pup into your arms, settling her on your lap with a sigh. “I love you too, my sweet girl.”


	15. Chapter 15

Warnings: Minimal talks of drug usage.

  
Notes: This is severely unedited. Please forgive me.

* * *

  
It’s warmer in the coffee shop than it should be, the heat slapping you in the face the second you cross over the threshold. She’s sitting off to the side, clutching a black mug in between both of her hands and staring out of the window. Rolling your eyes, you peel the scarf from around your neck and approach the brunette, there was several other places that you want to be…but watching your boyfriend fret over this meeting caused you to step in. She looks up as you slide into the chair, folding your hands on the table in front of you.

  
“Robin,” you mutter, pulling your phone and a file from your purse. You quickly send a text to Luke letting him know that you had arrived safely and that you can’t wait to be home with him and Lex.

  
“I asked for Luke.” You look up at her and nod, placing your phone on the table, a picture of you, Luke, and Lex proudly displaying behind the time. You smile down at the picture, missing your lips dragging across his stubble, and wanting nothing more than to get this impromptu meeting over with and home to your family.

  
“I know what you asked for,” you tell the woman, looking back down at your phone quickly. The return message from Luke flashing across your screen lets you know that he loves you, and wants you to drive safely. Smiling, you look back up at the woman.

  
“Why isn’t he here?” She questions, her eyes trained on your phone with a scowl.

  
“He’s busy,” you reply. “And his whereabouts are really none of your business, you’ve got me so tell me what you want.”

  
“I want to see her,” Robins sighs, lifting her coffee cup to her lips. You nod. “Alone.” You stare at the woman for a few moments, taking this pause to gather your thoughts before proceeding. There’s several ways that this conversation could go, some better than others, some worse.

  
“I’m having a hard time understanding something, so maybe you can explain it to me, Robin…” Picking up the phone on the table, you scroll through the pictures, landing on the ones you took of Lex a few weeks ago in the park. Turning the phone towards the woman, you show Robin the picture, your eyes never leaving her face. “Before we discuss anything regarding visitation, I’m going to need you to explain to me why.”

  
“Why?” She repeats, lifting the mug to her lips and taking a slow sip. You nod.

  
“Why did you drop a baby on Luke’s doorstep with a note? Why didn’t you tell him you were pregnant in the first place? Why follow him all the way out here and disrupt their lives seven years later?” You continue to look at the woman, your mind wandering down the many possibilities that could have happened to drive her to abandon her kid. She shrugs, causing you to stiffen in the chair. How could she not know?

  
“I was young, you know,” She places her mug onto the table top and looks up at you with a sad smile. “I had just finished college and I went out and got drunk. And there was Luke, and well you’ve seen him, with his smile and those eyes…anyway when I found out I was pregnant I was just staring an internship. But I couldn’t get an abortion and so I carried her to term and when she was here. I just, I realized that I had nothing to offer her. I was living at my boyfriend’s, I barely had a car. I lost my internship, and I started using.” You watch as she reaches up and wipes at her eyes, hanging her heads, and her hair sliding forward to cover her face. “I’ve been clean for about two years now. I have a job, a place to live, a car, and I wanted to work on the last piece of my life that is missing: my daughter.”

  
“Okay,” you tell the woman. “I’m glad you got clean, but there is something else that we need to discuss, and we can’t do that without Luke. Excuse me.” You take a deep breath, stand from the table, and grab your phone dialing the number you knew already by heart. When you return to the table, Robin is looking out of the window again, clutching her mug of coffee between both hands. You take a deep breath, “I understand that Lex is your daughter, but she’s my daughter too, and I would do anything I can to protect her. I may look like a walking rainbow, but I will devour anyone who hurts the people I love. Meet us at the mall tomorrow, noon, and please don’t break her heart. He’s giving you one chance to do this civilly, I wouldn’t screw this up.”

  
“Penelope,” you pause halfway out of your seat. “What’s in the folder?”

  
“Papers to terminate your parental rights, but we’re not there yet.” You tell the woman, before walking back out of the coffee chop. Her whispered thanks following you out into the chilled November air.

* * *

 

“I’m home,” you call out, letting the door shut behind you with a loud snap. You toss your purse and keys onto the nearest hook and slide your feet out of the heeled boots you donned for the meeting with Robin. Luke rounds the corner with a warm smile, his lips landing on yours in greeting.

  
“Lex is with my mother,” he tells you, trailing his lips across your cheek and kissing down your neck. He removes your scarf, letting it flutter to the floor as he lifts you up, your back connecting with the wall. Your hands run through his hair, tugging gently on the strands as a picture frame falls to the floor, shattering. Neither of you flinch as you’re consumed by one another.

  
“When are they due back?” His hands have begun pulling your dress over your hips, fingers hungry to slide across your skin, most of it still cold from the weather outside.

  
“Tomorrow.” You pull his head from your neck, looking into his eyes with a wide grin.

  
“Chinese takeout and naps?” He nods, mumbling something into your neck causing you to laugh, tilting your head back to allow him more access. “Yes, Luke, and sex.”


	16. Chapter 16

"Why would she choose to go to the mall the weekend after Thanksgiving?" Luke turns to look at you with eyes that clearly show exasperation. There was a part of you that clearly agreed with your boyfriend but you turn to him with a soft smile, sliding your hand into his as you continue walking along behind Robin and Lex.

"They both enjoy shopping," you tell him with a smile. Following them into the nearest clothing store, you browse the racks for something that you hadn't already bought the child for Christmas. Looking over your shoulder at Luke you hand him a shirt you think she would like, and try not to laugh at the eye roll he gives you.

"Doesn't she have enough clothes?" Turning to your boyfriend you hand him another shirt and a matching pair of pants with a wide smile.

"A woman can never have enough clothes," you tell him.

" _Well, why don't you show me something Penny hasn't bought you then, Lexington?"_ Looking up at Luke, you prepare to stop him from rushing over to the two of them.

" _My name is Lex and my parents buy me everything I need!"_ You can see her stomp her foot and cross her arms while glaring up at Robin, the ponytail you piled her hair into that morning swinging behind her.

" _I'm sorry Lexing – Lex, how about we go to the toy store instead?"_ You watch the child nod her head before holding her hand up to Robin and running over to you and Luke. She wraps her arms around Luke's waist and then yours before racing back to Robin. You look over at Luke, mouthing the word parents before shaking your head.

"I'm going to go pay for these," you tell him. "I'll meet you at the toy store." Luke leans down to press his lips to yours before rushing out of the store, following after his daughter. You try your hardest to calm your racing heart as you pay for the clothing making sure to ask the associate for an extra box.

When you catch up to Luke he's glaring at the outside of a _Sephora._ "What did lipstick and mascara ever do to you," you ask him, wrapping your arms around his waist. He takes the bag from your hands, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

"Robin took Lex in there and now my daughter is sitting in a chair getting crap smeared on her face," Luke tells you, glaring over at the store again.

"You like it when I wear that crap," you tease him.

"You're not seven."

"Understood, but if it's something that they can bond over...it's not like she's going to be allowed to wear it." Luke looks down at you in relief.

"This is why I love you."

* * *

 

"Daddy, you have to put the Angel on top of the tree," Lex shouts down the hall where Luke was currently pressing you into the wall outside of your shared bedroom. His hands were sliding through your hair, pulling your face closer to his. Groaning he tears his lips away from yours, yelling back to Lex that he will be right there. He presses his face into your neck, sliding his lips across your shoulder. You whimper, your knees growing weak as he slides his hands up your dress. "Daddy!"

"Is it bedtime yet?" You laugh, pushing against his chest and reaching down to grab the box of lights that he had followed you down the hall for.

"Not even close, but we can finish decorating the house for Christmas," you tell him, waving the lights in his face and racing off down the hallway. When he enters the room after you, he wraps his arms around your waist and picks you up, pulling you backward onto the couch with him and tickling at your sides. You let out a loud laugh, "Lex help!" Lex jumps onto the couch with the pair of you, using the Angel to lightly tap her father on the head. He pretends to faint, his grip relaxing around your waist as you break free. You and Lex scramble to the other side of the living room, ducking behind the couch and covering your mouths as you giggle.

"Penny, can I ask you a question?" You nod, looking down at her with a smile. "Would it be...is it okay?" Lex becomes frustrated, her hands gripping the angel. You take it from her, smoothing it and smiling at her. "Sam at school is dopted, and she says that she now has two mommies." She stops, letting out a deep breath and closes her eyes.

"What is it, honey?" Lex tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and leans herself against you, burying her face into your neck. You glance around the chair in order to look at Luke, who is sitting up with a soft smile on his face.

"Robin wanted me to call her mom today, and I tried to make her happy but, Penny...I don't want to call her mom." You smile at her. Your hand rubbing her back softly.

"You don't have to call her mom if you don't want to, you don't have to call anybody anything you don't want to." You look back over at Luke, your eyes hard. You're sure that a part of you wants to hurt Robin the next time you see her for the turmoil she's put your Lex through.

"Good, because I don't want to call you Penny anymore." Staring down at the child you nod your head, your heart suddenly beating faster than you ever remember it.

"Okay," you begin slowly. "What would you like to call me then?" Lex stands up and walks back over to her father who nods at her. You crawl out from behind the couch and coming to sit before them.

"Mom?" she asks, and your heart stops. You look up at Luke who is smiling down at you, your face mirrors his as you reach out for Lex. You pull her into your lap, wrapping your arms around her with a soft sob, you press your lips to her forehead.

"I'd be honored, Lex." You close your eyes softly, wondering how your life could have ever turned out this way after running into this family two years ago in a pet store. Your heard is so full as you hold your daughter, and though she didn't come from you, that doesn't mean that you love her any less. Looking back up at your boyfriend with tears traveling down your face, he nods at you, mouthing a thank you.


	17. Chapter 17

The days between Thanksgiving and Christmas flash by your eyes and you’re barely home with the extreme caseload that had been dumped onto the BAU. You missed the first snowfall of the year. A sad smile creeping onto your face when you finally trudged home to find the partially melted snowman wearing one of your scarfs. When you enter the house tonight it’s to find all of the lights dimmed, a movie softly playing in the background, and Luke and Lex curled up under a blanket with Roxy and Sergio. Each of them fast asleep under the lights you had strung up weeks ago. Pausing you take the time to watch your family doze on the couch as the minutes tick down from December 23rd to the 24th. Sighing you walk over and press your lips to Luke’s forehead, rousing him from his sleep. Sergio, noticing the movement of the person he was laying on opens one eyes, and yawns. Lazily stretching out his front paws before closing his eyes and resting his head back on Luke’s lap.

“What time is it?” Luke reaches up to run his fingers through the thick tuft of hair on the top of his head. Smiling down at him, you reach out to remove Sergio from his lap.

“Midnight,” you reply. “Let’s get Lex into bed.” He yawns, shaking his head and pulling you onto his lap and nuzzling his face into your neck.

“I missed you,” Luke whispers, pressing a kiss to your collarbone. Relaxing into his embrace, you smile.

“I missed you, too.” Standing, you walk over to Lex’s bedroom door and turn on the light. Her bed was left unmade this morning, you notice as you straighten out the sheets in preparation for Luke to place her gently on the mattress. “I’m going to take a shower, I’ve been in these clothes for two days straight.”

When you step under the stream, the water is warm against your skin as it cascades down your body. You let the constant rhythm of the droplets beat the frustrations of the past case from your body. The cases with children had always hit you hard, but now that there was a little girl depending on you, calling you mom like it was her job… This case had been terrible. You don’t realize that you’re sobbing until Luke is wrapping his arms around your naked frame underneath the stream of water. Trying, and failing miserably, to muffle your sobs as he consoles you. He doesn’t ask what’s wrong, instead of reaching up to your shampoo and begins massaging your strands while whispering soothing words to you.

He uses your favorite towel to dry you off before slipping one of his t-shirts onto your shoulders and running a brush through your tangled mass of hair. He’s still silent as you stare off at the wall. Telling yourself over and over again that you should talk about what has you so catatonic in his arms, pulling gently away from the fabric you had woven together over the course of the past two years.

“We couldn’t save her,” you whisper while wrapping your arms around your stomach. “We caught the guy, but she was already gone.” He leans you back against his chest, running his fingers through your hair as you continue to cry softly before letting exhaustion drag you from the nightmares you experience while you’re awake.

* * *

Small hands petting your hair pull you from slumber hours later, her voice whispering that it’s almost Christmas and Santa will be bringing you whatever it was that you needed to stop making you so sad. Opening your eyes you smile up at Lex, wrapping your arms around her waist and pulling her underneath the blankets with you. You look over at Luke, noticing his eyes watching the pair of you softly.

“You and your father are all I need to keep the sadness away, my precious girl,” you tell her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Resting your head back onto the pillow and smiling over at Luke. He sits up on the bed, reaching down to ruffle Lex’s wild mass of curls.

“Mom, what about Roxy and Sergio?” Lex’s small voice asks.

“Obviously them too, how could I ever forget?” Sliding out of the bed, you walk over to the closet and pull a pair of yoga pants from the depths, grateful as you pull them up your body that Luke’s shirt was long enough to cover your bare bottom half. “How about we spend the morning singing Christmas carols and making breakfast for grumpy over there?” Lex nods, her tiny legs bouncing on the bed a few times before climbing over her father.

“Don’t worry grumpy Daddy, Mama and I will make your favorite!” She races out of the room before you can blink and you find her happy laughter contagious as it filters into the bedroom after her. The sound of her voice calling you mom will never get old you realize, and it fills you with a warmth you hadn’t know that you were missing your entire life.

“Are you okay?” Luke’s voice pulls your attention away from the relaxing Christmas Eve day you had planned out.

“Never better,” you reply. Leaning down you press your lips to him, moving them slowly against his mouth with a soft sigh. “This is all I’ll ever need in life.” You leave him in bed, telling him to get some more sleep since he’s been pulling double duty these past few weeks. He nods, pulling the blankets over his shoulders and letting his eyes close gently.

* * *

“Mooooooom,” Lex’s voice follows you into the kitchen, her little hands yanking on your dress as you empty the bag of popcorn into the large bowl, sprinkling some Parmesan cheese onto it and giving the bowl a large shake. You glance down at her, your eyes expressing a question that she won’t answer. “I want to watch the movie with you and Abuela and Daddy.”

“Alright, let’s go...” you tell her. She grasps your hand, dragging you into the living room. You notice that the lights have been turned off, the tree is the only source. Maria is standing in your line of sight, her hands gently taking the bowl of popcorn from you and going to sit herself and Lex on the couch.

“I forgot to give this to you before,” Luke begins, handing you a bag. “You were supposed to open it with your other present.” You glance at him in confusion, your other present being a new journal set picked out for you by Lex.

“Is it the new jelly pens?” You ask, looking over at Lex who quickly shakes her head, urging you to open the present faster with her hands. Laughing you pull the tissue from the bag, your eyes immediately falling onto a blue box. With trembling fingers you pull the box into your hands, letting the bag tumble to the floor. You gasp when you lift the lid, taking in the ring that is nestled between a slit in a blue cushion. The white gold band is made entirely of small diamonds, coming to a stop with two large stones. There are six smaller glittering stones that curve around a large oval diamond in the center of the ring. Lifting the fingers of your right hand to your mouth you let out a soft gasp, a sob escaping your lips as you stare at the ring. You can hear his voice filtering to your ears but the words he is speaking don’t quite reach you. You blink rapidly as he bends, landing on one knee in front of you.

“Will you marry me?” Luke stares up at you, his eyes never leaving your face as you continue looking at the ring. A thousand thoughts run through your mind, each of them different from the previous as he presents the single most gorgeous ring you’ve ever seen. He clears his throat, and you realize that you’ve been silent for too long, you sigh and reach up to wipe at your face.

“Mom...” Lex prods, coming to stand by you. You tear your eyes from the ring and look at her face with a large smile and nod.

“Yes, mhm, yes.” Luke slides the ring onto your shaking hand before pulling you into his arms and pressing a slow kiss to your lips. You can hear the excited clapping of your daughter, and your future mother-in-law, and Roxy’s barking. They all die down when the doorbell rings, but you ignore it, continuing to kiss the man who had captured your heart years ago.


	18. Chapter 18

“Robin is here,” Maria announces as she walks back into the room and even though you want to continue kissing Luke forever, you pull away from him and turn to look at your daughter’s biological mother. Luke wraps his arms around your waist, his fingers playing with the ring he just slid onto your finger with a goofy grin.

“You’re late,” Luke tells the other woman while looking down at his watch. “By eight hours.” Looking up and glaring at the woman, you disentangle yourself from Luke’s arms and walk closer to her. Her eyes were shifty and her skin looked sallow. There was a layer of sweat on her forehead and you glance behind you to your fiance.

“Lex, can you go play in your room for a while,” you whisper. “And close the door.” Lex nods, jumping up from the couch and takes off for her bedroom. Turning back to Luke and twirling the ring on your finger, you smile softly at the man before sitting on the couch. He had more experience with this sort of thing, after all, having come across all walks of life with his job. You just got the bottom of the barrel, the worst, the people who took lives without any remorse. Your heart breaks for the woman, but there were clear directives when Luke agreed to let her see Lex, and this was one of them. “What’re you on Robin?”

“Nothing,” the woman replies, shakily running her finger through her hair. You stare at her, reaching up to run your hands down your face.

“Robin, we were very clear,” Luke says slowly, his voice steady even though you can see the anger on his face.

“I’m fine,” she shouts, wrapping her arms around her waist. “I just want to see my kid, it’s Christmas.” She looks at Luke, reaching up with her left hand to push her hair off of her face. Robin’s face contorts as she speaks, her voice growing louder with each word.

“Keep your voice down,” you hiss at her. “Lex doesn’t need to see or hear this.” She looks over at you, examining you from head to toe, and you realize that you’ve never felt more naked in your life. Her eyes narrow when they finally settle onto the ring on your finger.

“So, it’s official then, Perfect Penny is going to be Lex’s mother,” she says roughly, her voice choking up with tears. “Because I’m not good enough and I never was.”

“Don’t deflect,” Luke says while rolling his eyes, clearly exasperated with the pity party Robin was determined to throw herself. “You’re eight hours late, you show up here strung out expecting to see my kid, and then you attack my future wife with your insecurities, and I won’t stand for it. This is not the example I want to set for Lex and you should want to set a better one as well.”

“I’m here aren’t I?” She asks, stumbling as she moves to sit in the nearest chair. “I’m trying to get to know my kid before she grows up and doesn’t remember me.”

“Bullshit,” you whisper. “She doesn’t know you now. And you’re trying, or you were. What happened to the woman I talked to months ago who was so determined to stay clean and get to know her kid? I trusted you, Robin. I trusted you with our daughter, and even though I want to be so upset with you all I want to do is help you. So please, tell me what you’re on so that we can get you some help because whether we like it or not, you gave birth to that little girl and you’re family.”

“Penelope,” Luke turns to you with wide eyes. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am,” you tell him. “Lex knows how much I love her, but I never want her to question why her biological mother didn’t love her or didn’t want her, or why she couldn’t give up drugs in order to maintain a relationship with her. My daughter will never wonder why she wasn’t good enough, Luke.” You look up at the man with unshed tears in your eyes, trying to express to him exactly what you meant in case your words weren’t clear enough. “So I’m going to ask you again, what’re you on?”

* * *

“Are you sure that this is a good idea?” He asks, sliding his arm around your waist later that night. Shaking your head you turn to him on the bed and press your lips to his bare chest.

“No,” you whisper. “I’m not sure but it’s the only idea I have that won’t eventually alienate Lex. Trust me, nobody should ever wonder why they aren’t enough.”

“You’re enough for me,” he whispers back, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you closer to him. His lips land softly on yours. “And for Lex, and Roxy, and Sergio. You’re enough for our little family.”

“I love you,” you tell the man, lifting your left hand and looking down at the ring he slid onto your finger a few hours ago.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t say yes, and I’d have to join Kevin in the Penelope Garcia castoff club,” he says softly. You look up at him and sigh.

“You gave me a choice, the past two going on three years being with you was a choice and you never pushed anything on me. With Kevin, it was all or nothing, on his timetable, and I felt like I was losing a part of myself. But with you, it’s different. More mature, stable, we have built such a beautiful life together outside of our relationship and even if you didn’t propose we would have ended up here eventually,” you mutter as you move your thumb to brush against the band of the ring. It felt weird on your finger, but not unwelcome, and you’re sure that you will get used to it in time. “It really is a beautiful ring.”

“Lex picked it out,” he chuckles. “She told me that the ring I originally bought was trash and that I had to do better if I wanted you to say yes.” You laugh with him, pushing against his chest so that he can lay on his back as you curl into his side.

“That’s my girl.”


End file.
